Bar Stools and Polka Dots
by Newgirl78
Summary: A series of one shots throughout Season 3. Navigating the ups and downs of living as a couple in 4D. ***If a chapter has anything that borders on M rated, I make sure to make it clear. I prefer to save M rated stuff for my one shots (if at all). This story contains mostly fluff, with a fair share of moderate angst mixed in there.*** The conclusion to this story is "A Rolling Die".
1. A Good Morning to you

Bar stools and polka dots

It was a Saturday morning and Winston was sitting at the counter with a mug of coffee and his laptop. Jess was making breakfast at the stove. Nick walked into the kitchen yawning and waved at Winston.

"Hey man."

"What's up?" Winston lifted his head slightly in a nod and kept his eyes on the screen.

Nick walked over to Jess, gently placing his right hand on her waist and kissing the top of her head. "Morning."

She smiled and flipped the eggs in the pan. "Morning Nick."

Nick walked past her, got a mug out of the cabinet, and filled it with coffee. He turned around and leaned against the counter, yawning again. "What's everyone up to today?"

Winston closed his laptop as Jess put a plate of bacon and eggs in front of him. "Thanks Jess." He looked up at Nick as he grabbed a fork. "Going to play basketball with Schmidt after breakfast, wanna come?"

He rubbed his eyes and sat down across from Winston on a stool. "Nah, late night at the bar last night, I'm taking a nap."

Jess placed a plate in front of him and squeezed his arm.

"You didn't need to make breakfast for us, Jess"

Winston took a bite of eggs. "Hey, speak for yourself. She can make breakfast ANYtime."

Jess shrugged and kissed Nick's cheek. "You said you were hungry for eggs."

Nick frowned. "I did?"

"Yeah, last night." Winston raised his eyebrows. Jess looked at Winston and overemphasized her words. "When he got home from work last night, Winston." Jess grabbed her tea from the edge of the counter and leaned over between the guys, taking a sip. "Besides I know it's been awhile since I cooked for you guys."

Nick smiled and his gaze lingered on Jess' eyes. "Thanks Jess."

Winston stuffed a piece of bacon in his mouth and pointed a fork at Nick. "You better keep this up Nick, I'm loving this 'I just want to make Nick happy' crap".

Jess rolled her eyes and stood up. "Well, I'm off."

Nick grabbed her arm. "Wait, you made breakfast and you're not eating?"

She shook her head. "I'm not really hungry, and besides, I need to start grading those essays.". She had decided to teach one more semester of her adult Creative Writing. Ourse over the summer.

Nick frowned. "Jess, it's Saturday, you should take a break."

She shrugged her shoulders and played with the teabag in her mug. "I fell asleep last night and I really just want to get them done." She smiled and started walking to her room, waving her arm as she left. "I'll be in my room if you need me."

Nick watched her leave as Winston stared at Nick. "Damn, you've got it bad."

Nick grimaced and went back to his food. "What?"

Winston laughed and shook his head. "Nothing man. You guys are just too much, that's all."

Nick couldn't help but smile as they finished their breakfast.

* * *

Jess had stacks of papers lined up against the pillows on her bed. She was laying on her stomach facing them, and reading a student's essay when she heard a knock at the door. "It's open." She yelled, not looking up from the paper. Nick quietly came through the door carrying his laptop.

"Hey there."

"Hey." She smiled and readjusted her glasses.

"Need some company?"

"Hmmmm." He started to frown when she let out a giggle. "Nick of course you can come in, you don't have to knock!"

He smiled and walked around to the opposite side of the bed. He carefully sat down and leaned over to kiss her cheek. "Still grading essays?"

She stretched her arms out in front of her, and then rested her head on her hands. "uh huh. Exciting, right?"

He sat up and leaned his back against the pillows, stretching his legs out and setting up his laptop and headphones. "I won't bother you, I promise. Just thought you might be lonely."

She pushed up and leaned on her elbows, tucking her hair behind her ears. "That's so sweet. I missed you last night, why were you so late?"

He rolled his eyes and started untangling the cord on his headphones. "Stupid drunk idiots got in a fight, I had to wait for the cops to show up and give them a statement."

Jess' eyes got wide. "Nick, why didn't you tell me?! You didn't get hurt, did you?"

He laughed. "No, I stayed BEHIND the bar." She watched him with a smile on her face as he became increasingly irritated with the tangled cord of his headphones. He started yanking it in frustration. "Damn cord, it always does this."

Jess pulled her knees under and sat up, reaching for headphones. "Gimme."

She quickly and delicately untangled the cord and handed it back to Nick. "There." She tilted her head with a smirk on her face.

He shook his head, placed them over his head and laid them on his shoulders. He pursed his lips and tried not to laugh. "Thank you, Day."

She stretched her legs back out and laid down on stomach again, reaching for a piece of paper. "No problem."

Nick watched her as he put his headphones on, as she immersed herself into the assignment she was reading. After a few minutes, she combined all the piles on her pillow and silently slid up the bed. She pressed her back against Nick's body and rested her head against the pillow, the essay still in her hand. Nick smiled and pulled his left arm up, just enough so his hand could play with her hair. He loved spending time with her like this. Even if they weren't talking or doing anything exciting, he just wanted to be able to relax with her and enjoy her company. Over the past few weeks, these were the moments that he looked forward to the most, as strange as that was sounding to even himself.

A few more minutes passed until Jess was finished with the essay and leaned over to place the pile of papers onto the nightstand. She rolled over and hugged Nick's arm. He laughed as he took off the headphones and closed his laptop. He gently reached out and took her glasses off, and placed everything in his hands on his nightstand. He rolled over on his side to face her, her eyes now closed.

Nick placed his left hand between his head and the pillow and gently stroked her cheek with the other. She smiled and sleepily opened her eyes. "Wanna take a nap with me?"

He kissed her forehead and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close to him. "hmmm, that sounds like a plan. Do you want a blanket?"

She whispered, already starting to doze off. "I'm good. Just hold me." She nuzzled her head into his neck as he pulled her even closer and they fell asleep.


	2. What did you call me?

It had been two weeks since they had driven away together from Cece's "wedding". Although they were happily enjoying their new relationship, they found that it was much more complicated when they were outside of the loft. At home, it was easy to fall into a very synchronized, relaxed, and almost domestic dynamic. She enjoyed cooking breakfast, he always made her tea without asking, they spent the evenings cuddled on the couch talking or watching their favorite shows, and every night they wordlessly made their way to one of their bedrooms. Even Schmidt and Winston had adjusted to the affection they were now free to openly display.

When they were outside the loft, however, things remained complicated. Neither one had ever verbalized what they were to each other, and since their close friends already understood they were together, they didn't need to. At some point though, a situation was going to arise that required them to officially put a label on their relationship, and it probably would happen sooner rather than later.

* * *

Nick was behind the bar with his back turned, when Jess came in and claimed one of the bar stools, throwing her purse up on the counter. She was smiling when he turned around.

Nick walked towards her, grabbing a wine glass and pouring her favorite pink wine. "Hey there, beautiful." He slid the glass towards her and winked. "I thought you were coming by later."

She took a sip as he leaned his elbows on the bar. She smiled. "Thought I'd surprise you."

Just then, someone called for him from the other side of the bar. He gave her a small eye roll as she waved him away.

She was deep in thought sipping her wine when she heard a voice next to her.

"Hey there. Nice night."

Jess turned her head to the left where a relatively attractive blond in his early twenties, had sat down on the stool next to her. He was wearing a black polo shirt and khaki shorts. She gave a small smile as he leaned his left arm on the bar.

"Can I buy you a drink?"

She took a sip of her wine and unconsciously scooted a little further away from him on the stool. "Um, I'm almost finished here, but thanks."

He spun around on his chair and raised his hand to get Nick's attention. Jess watched as Nick came towards them with a visible scowl on his face. "What can I get ya?"

"A beer for me, and" he nodded his head toward Jess. "Another glass of wine for this lovely lady right here."

Jess nervously put her glass down on the bar, her eyes widening as she shrugged her shoulders.

Nick threw the towel he was holding over his shoulder and spread his arms out gripping the edge of the bar. He leaned a little closer to him. "You said a beer?"

"Right, and she'd like another glass of wine."

Nick looked over at Jess as she replied. "No, really I told him I was good." She looked at the man seated next to him, once again saying. "Thanks for the offer though."

The guy raised his eyebrows at Nick, waiting a second for his glare to somehow coax Nick to fill his order before he turned back to Jess. He reached out to touch her arm. "I think you can handle ONE more, right?" She jerked her arm away with a scowl as he winked at her.

Nick's nostrils flared as his hands gripped the bar. In a gruff voice directed at the man he said, "Did you hear what she said?"

The man gave a laugh. "Hey, just bring us our order, will ya?"

Nick looked at Jess and she frantically glanced back and forth between them. She tilted her head giving Nick one of her looks and slowly slid off the right side of the stool. She locked eyes with the increasingly agitated young man, "I'm actually waiting for someone, so I need to go find a table." Her expression softened as she looked once again at Nick. She grabbed her wine and purse, and started toward an empty table by the back wall.

The guy, clearly irritated at this point turned back to Nick. "Mind your own business, man. Just get me what I ordered."

Nick took a deep breath and watched as Jess safely sat down at one of the tables.

"You got it. One beer coming up." Before the man could correct him once again, Nick left to grab a beer. A moment later he came back with the bottle. "That'll be $4." He motioned his head toward Jess. "She's taken, you got that?"

The man stood up, pulling his wallet out of his back pocket, throwing the money down on the bar. "Whatever man. It's not any of your damn business."

Nick shook his head as he picked up the money and turned around to put it in the cash register. As he was closing the drawer, someone called him to the other side once again. After a quick glance to make sure the guy wasn't bothering Jess, he went to serve another customer.

* * *

Jess had been sitting at the booth drinking her wine and texting Cece for about 10 minutes, when the man from the bar slipped into the seat across from her.

"Hey, sorry about that bartender. I'd still like to buy you a drink."

Jess looked up from her phone startled. "Hey, um. Actually, I'm meeting some friends here any minute. Maybe another time." She tried to think of something else to say to get him to back off when she saw Nick walking towards them. She was relieved until she noticed his clenched fists and the speed at which he was coming towards them. When he stopped, he gave the table a small punch as he stood next to Jess.

"Jess, is this guy still bothering you?"

She gently put her hand on his arm. "Nick, it's ok. I was just leaving anyway."

The guy looked back and forth between them and then leaned back, pointing to Nick.

"Wait, so you know this guy?"

Jess smiled at Nick and then turned back to the guy. "I think you should probably go now."

The guy scoffed and started to get up. "Whatever." He nodded his head toward Jess while keeping his gaze on Nick, "You might want to tell this one to quit throwing herself around." He leaned over with a disconcerting smile on his face. "Might get her into some trouble one day."

"That's it." Nick muttered under his breath and lunged at the guy, grabbing the back of his collar as he turned him toward the door. "Get out of this bar. NOW." Jess jumped up from the booth screaming Nick's name.

The guy jerked away and raised his arms, his beer still in one hand. "Hey, lay off. I'm leaving." He shook his head one last time in disgust and walked away.

Nick's face was red and his eyes angry when he turned around, standing face to face with Jess. She was frowning. "Nick, I had it covered. You don't have to get so worked up."

Nick took a deep breath, his expression turning to one of surprise. "Jess, he wasn't taking no for an answer!"

She tilted her head, shifting to look around his shoulder and motioning across the room. "He's gone now Nick. Nothing happened." She reached out to gently stroke his arm.

"I know, I just..." He turned to go back over to the bar. "I gotta get back..."

"Nick, wait." She grabbed his arm and he turned around to face her. She was trying to get a read on his expression, but she was only confused. "What's gotten into you?"

He pulled away from her grasp. "Nothing. Just forget it. It's stupid."

"Well clearly it's NOT, or you wouldn't have tried to throw that guy out right now."

"He was being a jerk."

"Nick."

He held her glance for a moment and then looked away. "I just." His voice became a little huskier. "If some random guy comes up and starts hitting on my girlfriend, what do you expect me to do?"

A smile slowly crept into the corners of Jess' mouth as her eyes softened. Her voice was so quiet he could barely hear her. "Girlfriend?"

He just made a face at her, as if her question was the most ridiculous thing in the world.

"Nick, you uh...you've never called me your girlfriend before."

The realization hit him, as she took a step closer to him. "So," she slowly took his left hand. "that's how you really think of me?"

His eyes never left hers and his breathing became more shallow. He reached up and lightly swept his fingers under her bangs, his thumb lingering along her cheek as his hand rested on her back of her neck, his fingers tangling in her hair. He held her gaze for a moment longer, before he leaned in for a kiss. He started to smile against her lips, as she backed away giggling.

"I take that as a yes, then?"

He smiled, and with a very quiet and decisive tone replied. "You're my girlfriend, Jess."


	3. Flat Tires

"Heeeeeey, Nick." Jess flopped down on the couch next to him and punched his arm. She was wearing a pink sundress and her ponytail was a little loose and hanging lopsided.

He turned to her and raised his eyebrows. "Jess, what's all over your face?"

Her eyes widened and she frantically started swiping her face as Nick laughed and wiped his thumb across her cheek. It was cold and a little wet from holding his beer. "Yeah, um, that's..."

He grimaced and rubbed his fingers together. "Is this grease? Wait, were you trying that shoe polish look on your eyes again?"

Jess glared at him. "EYE SHADOW Nick, it's called eye shadow. And, no. I'm trying to change my tire downstairs."

"Geez, Jess, why didn't you just ask?!" He leaned over to put his beer down and jumped up off the couch.

She stood up and put her hands on her hips as he walked by her towards the door. "Nick, I know how to change a tire.", she retorted as she followed behind him.

Nick grabbed his toolbox from the shelf by the front door and opened the door, motioning for her to walk through. "I'm not saying you can't, but..."  
He pulled the door shut behind him and reached out to grab her hand, turning her around to face him as they stood in the hallway. "You know I like doing this stuff, Jess. Just ASK me next time, ok?"

She rolled her eyes. "Fine."

He laughed as they made their way toward the elevator. He pushed the button, the door opening immediately for them to step inside. "So what happened anyway?" He pushed the button for the first floor and the elevator started moving.

She shrugged. "I think I ran over something. Or hit a curb. One of those..." She looked at him sheepishly.

He raised his eyebrows. "A curb AGAIN? Why can't you EVER slow down and go wide enough when you make a right turn?"

She crossed her arms in front of her. "Oh, right. Well at least I know how to make right AND left turns!"

He rolled his eyes as the elevator door opened. She huffed out and he followed her around the corner to her car. The rear right side of the car was already up on a jack and there was a neatly folded polka dot blanket next to it. Nick laughed and bent down to place his toolbox on the sidewalk. "You keep a pink polka dot blanket in your emergency kit, Jess?" He pointed to the blanket.

She winked at him. "Ya never know when you want to stay clean laying on the ground."

He raised his eyebrows and scrunched his face, before letting out a little laugh. He kneeled down on the blanket, thinking to himself that she probably had the right idea keeping the blanket in her car, and bent forward to inspect the tire. All but one bolt was laying in the hubcap next to the blanket. She pointed to the last bolt. "I think it's rusty or something, I couldn't get it to budge."

Nick smiled up at her as she squatted next to him. "Pretty impressive, Day."

She kissed his cheek. In her theatrical 1940s movie voice, she replied. "Why thank you kind sir." She batted her eyelashes at him as he scrunched up his face and laughed again.

"You're so weird."

He struggled for a minute with the wrench, but finally it came loose and he was able to get the tire off. "Jess, how far did you drive on this thing?"

She pretended to ponder the question and then responded slowly. "Just from school."

"JESS! Don't EVER do that again, ok? Just call me. You could have gotten in an accident."

She dropped onto her knees next to him, blowing her bangs out of her eyes and sighing. "Fine. I'm sorry."

He lowered his voice a little. "I'm sorry, I'm not trying to tell you what to do. But," he pointed to the tire. "This is actually really dangerous, Jess."

She looked him in the eye and smiled. "Understood, Miller. Won't happen again." She gave him a little salute and bent forward to push up off her hands to a standing position. She stepped to the side and grabbed the spare tire. "Is it bad if I have to drive on this to school tomorrow?"

Nick sighed. "No, but only tomorrow, ok? I'll leave early tonight and pick up a new tire for you on the way into work." He took the tire from her and slid it onto the car.

"Nick, you don't have to do that." She held the hubcap in front of him as he grabbed the bolts one at time.

Without looking up, he began to tighten the bolts onto the tire. "It's not a problem, I know the guy at that place on the corner by the bar. He owes me a favor anyway, so it shouldn't cost that much." He smiled as he took another bolt. "It'll be too dark when I get home tonight, but I'll try to get it on first thing in the morning, so maybe you won't even have to worry about driving with this on here."

Nick worked in silence as he finished with the tire. He packed the jack with the blanket back into her emergency kit and she put everything back in her trunk. She stepped back up on the sidewalk next to him. "Thanks Nick."

He took a quick look at his hands, giving them a swipe across his shirt before taking her face in his hands. "Just ask next time, ok Jess. If I can help you with something, you have to let me."

She smiled and took a step closer, rising up on her toes to give him a kiss. "A girl could get used to this, you know? You're probably creating a monster."

Nick laughed as he bent down to pick up the toolbox. "If that means you'll finally let me start acting like a boyfriend," he grabbed her hand and winked at her, "then I'm fine with that".


	4. A baby adventure

**WARNING: Your heart may explode from warm and fuzzy Ness feels after reading this chapter. Hey, you've been warned, Roomfriends. You have been warned. ;-)**

* * *

The guys were all sitting on the couch in the loft. Schmidt and Winston were sitting on the side directly across from the tv, Nick by the corner on the other side. Jess came walking into the room from the hallway, carrying her phone in her hand. She sat down next to Nick.

"Heeeeey, guys."

Nick raised his eyebrows and nodded, silently waiting for her to continue.

"What?"

"Out with it Jess, what do you need?" Nick pursed his lips as she feigned surprise.

"Out with what?!"

Nick let out a little laugh. "Come on, we all know that look. What do you need?"

Jess glanced between all of them and nervously started twisting the phone in her hand. "Well, funny you should say that, because," she paused and then spoke very quickly. "Sadie needs us to watch Jack later." She winced slightly and waited.

Winston slapped his soda down on the coffee table. "Seriously, Jess?"

Nick grunted. "Nooooo."

Schmidt stood up and threw his arms in the air. "A BABY? In the LOFT?! What does this look like a really bad Ted Danson movie?!"

"Guys," Jess flashed them all a smile, then turned to Nick. "Nick," she said sweetly, "please?"

Winston and Schmidt were frantically waving their arms and shaking their heads, Winston mouthing "NO".

Nick looked back and forth between all three of them and shook his head. "I don't like this game."

Jess scooted closer to Nick. "Please, it's only for a few hours, you wouldn't have to do ANYTHING."

Nick paused and then shook his head in defeat, slapping his hands on his knees. "Fine."

Winston and Schmidt both threw up their hands in frustration. "NO!" "Come on!"

Jess pulled her arms into her chest. "Yessssss!" She put her hand on Nick's arm and gave him a quick kiss.

Winston shot Nick a glare and motioned between him and Jess. "This is going to be a disaster, you know that right?"

Jess laughed. "Please Winston." She spoke slowly for emphasis. "I'm a TEACHER. Of CHILDREN. We will be FINE."

Schmidt walked past them and around the couch towards his room. "This has disaster written all over it. I'm going to be gone ALL DAY."

Winston just shook his head, "yeah, I definitely have somewhere to be today". He mumbled incoherently to himself as he headed toward his bedroom.

Jess smiled at a very unconvinced Nick. "You're not going to run away too, are you?"

Nick grimaced. "As long as I don't have to touch any diapers."

Jess gave him another quick kiss on the cheek and stood up. "Promise."

Nick watched her happily skip to her room as he muttered, "this is my nightmare".

* * *

"Ok, I think that about does it." Sadie handed the diaper bag to Nick and planted one last kiss on Jack's head, who was already in Jess' arms.

Melissa was pulling Sadie's arm. "Allllright, let's get going there sweetie."

Sadie reached over and patted Nick's arm. "Thanks so much guys for helping us out."

Jess gave her a gentle push out the door. "Nooooo problem. Have fun guys!" She closed the door and spun around, smiling at Nick.

He lifted the pack 'n play in his hand. "Guess I'll go...um, do something with this?"

Jess bounced Jack in her arms. "You can set it up in my room, it'll be quiet for him in there."

"You got it."

"Hey Nick?" Nick spun around.

"Yeah?"

She smiled. "Thanks."

He smiled back and disappeared down the hall into her room.

Jess walked over to the couch and sat down. "Hey there little guy, what should we do?" Jack stared at her, the corners of his mouth slowly turning down before he let out a wail. "SHhhh, shhh, it's ok." Jess stood back up and bounced him for a minute until he calmed down.

"What the hell!" Nick's voice could be heard coming from Jess' room. Jess made her way into the hallway and couldn't help but laugh when she reached her doorway. Nick was trying, unsuccessfully to assemble Jack's bed.

"Nick, what are you doing?"

He pulled up on a side, only to have it collapse on itself. "What IS this thing anyway?"

"Do you want me to help?"

He held up a hand. "Nope. I got it. If I can put together your dresser, I can open a crib." He growled and tried to once again snap the sides into place. With a defeated look on his face, he looked at Jess as she walked towards him. Balancing Jack on her left hip, she grabbed one side of the crib.

"Here, spread it out first." He opened it up and started to reach down in the center. "No, wait. Snap the sides first." Nick shrugged and yanked the side closest to him, it finally staying together. Jess smiled as he did the same for the other three sides. "Ok, now push down on that thingy in the center." Nick leaned over and the crib was finally open.

"Huh. How'd you know how to do that?"

Jess shrugged her shoulders and winked. "High stakes baby dolls."

Nick laughed and shook his head. "That was way too complicated. How does that little guy need all this crap anyway?" He gestured to the spilled diaper bag he had thrown on the bed.

"Just comes with the territory I guess."

Nick pointed to Jess. "Or it's just all those baby stores that convince you your kid will turn out screwed up if you don't buy all their crap."

Jess just gave him one of her looks and shook her head. "Always the conspiracy theorist, aren't you?"

Nick smiled and stepped in front of her to kiss her. "You know it." He wiggled his eyebrows. "So do you need me to do anything else or can I catch the game?"

Jess sighed as she switched Jack to her right hip. "Go ahead."

Nick stepped passed her, walking toward the door. When he got there, he turned around and leaned in with a hand on either side of the door frame. "If the little dude wants to join me, he's welcome. I'm sure he never gets to enjoy real GUY stuff with lesbian moms."

Jess looked shocked. "NICK!"

He laughed and started to walk away. "You know I'm right!" he quipped as he disappeared into the living room.

* * *

Nick had been watching tv for about twenty minutes when he noticed Jack had been crying for awhile. "Hey Jess, you ok?" He called from the couch. He waited for a few moments, but there was no response. He stood up and walked into the hallway. Jess was pacing back and forth at the end of her bed, looking exhausted.

"Hey, you ok in here? What's wrong with him?"

She had him held tight in both arms in the middle of her chest. She blew her bangs out of her face. "I don't know. Sadie just fed him, I changed his diaper, but he won't let me put him down." Nick walked towards them. "He keeps rubbing his eyes, so I know he's tired. What am I doing wrong?!" She looked up at Nick with a worried look in her eye.

Nick reached out and took Jack. "Here, let me try." He bounced him for a minute, but Jack's little hands kept flailing in frustration. Nick nodded his head toward the bed. "get me one of those big blankets, will ya?"

Jess shrugged and picked one up.

"Ok, lay it out on the bed." She started to lay it down. "Wait, turn it. Like a diamond." She shrugged and did what Nick had asked. She looked at him with a questioning expression on her face. "ok, now fold down the top part a little."

She followed his instructions. "Like this?"

"Right, now watch this." Nick carefully squatted down on his knees and laid Jack on the blanket. He pinned Jack's left arm to his side and started wrapping the corners of the blanket around him tightly.

"Nick, he can't move his arm!"

Nick laughed. "That's the point. He keeps hitting himself, he'll never fall asleep."

Jess watched in amazement as Nick wrapped Jack tightly in the blanket, finishing by taking the bottom corner and tucking it in the part under Jacks chin. He stood up and cradled Jack against his chest. "Voila. Baby burrito."

Jess started at him, her eyes wide. "How'd you know how to do that?"

Nick just shrugged his shoulders. "A lot of younger cousins." He glanced at the contents of the diaper bag on the bed. "Is there a pacifier in there?"

Jess smacked her head. "Oh my God, I totally forgot!" She rummaged through the mess and picked up his pacifier. She walked over and gently put it in Jack's mouth, as the baby sighed and laid his head on Nick's shoulder. Jess gently rubbed the baby's back. "Aw, he looks so sweet!"

Nick smiled as he turned around, leaning over to gently place Jack in the pack 'n play. He patted his chest before standing up, watching Jack's eyes starting to close. "'Night little guy."

He walked toward Jess and grabbed her hand. She glanced back at the sleepy baby as he was shutting his eyes and she smiled. They walked out of the room, Jess slowly closing the door behind her. She gently tugged on Nick's arm and he turned around.

"That was pretty amazing back there." She motioned toward her room with her shoulder.

Nick just shrugged. "I guess."

Jess wrapped her arms up around his neck as his arms went around his waist.

"And you fought me when I said we were babysitting." She joked with a sly grin. "You knew how to do this all along, didn't you?"

Nick grinned. "Maybe."

Jess pulled his head down to hers and gave him a kiss. "Always surprising me, Miller."

He nodded. "I do what I can."

* * *

They flopped down onto the couch and Jess pulled her legs up underneath her as she hugged Nick's left arm and cuddled into his side. He kissed the top of her head and turned his attention to the baseball game on tv. Jess yawned and closed her eyes. "Wake me up if he cries, ok?"

"Sure."

About an hour later, Jess was fast asleep wrapped in Nick's arm when he heard Jack fussing from the other room. Nick smiled and carefully pulled his arm out from around Jess. He positioned her body against the back of the couch as she hugged her knees to her chest and sighed in her sleep. Nick stifled a laugh and shook his head, getting up to check on Jack.

When he got to the bedroom, he slowly opened the door. In a soft whisper, "hey little man, good nap?" He leaned over the carefully picked up the baby, his nose scrunching up. "Right. Yeah, I wouldn't be sleeping with that either." Nick grimaced as he looked around on the bed for a diaper. He knelt down on the floor and quickly unwrapped the blanket to change him. "Geez dude, what did you eat?!" After a few inappropriate words slipped out under his breath, Nick managed to change Jack's diaper. The baby, now wide awake, just stared at Nick and smiled. Nick picked up the blanket and pacifier, and headed back out to the living room. Jess was still asleep, awkwardly propped up on the back of the couch. Nick laughed and whispered in the baby's ear. "Yeah, SHE was going to watch you."

Nick slowly sat down on the couch next to Jess, careful not to wake her. He laid Jack on his blanket next to him, positioning him near the inside of the couch. With one hand on him, Nick looked around and saw Jess' keys laying on the coffee table. He leaned over and grabbed them, dangling them over Jack. The baby let out a small squeal as he batted at the keys. Nick shook his head. "Well, you're easy to please." He put the pacifier in Jack's mouth and leaned back to watch the game. The baby happily playing by his side for a few minutes.

Jess slowly opened her eyes and smiled at Nick. Sleepily she said, "Aw, I told you just to wake me up."

Nick leaned over to kiss her forehead. "Eh, you looked comfortable. But you totally owe me for changing that diaper."

Jess shook her head in surprise. "You even changed a diaper?" She scooted closer to him and hugged his arm. "I ABSOLUTELY owe you." She grinned as he laughed. "Want me to take a turn?"

Nick shrugged. "Eh, he seems happy. Have anything you need to do? I got him if you want to get something done."

Jess sat up. "Well, how about lunch?"

Nick smiled. "Sounds good."

Jess made her way to the kitchen to make lunch. Just as she was finishing, Nick walked over with the baby and sat down at one of the stools. Jess pushed a plate in front of him and walked around the counter to get the baby.

"Here, you eat, I'll take him."

Jess walked him around the kitchen, eating her sandwich as she went. "Uh oh."

Nick turned his head to Jess with mouth full of food. "What?"

Jess laughed as she pushed Jack away from her, "I think we need another diaper."

Nick laughed, almost spitting out his sandwich. "I'm so glad it was YOUR turn for that one."

Jess put down the rest of her sandwich and quickly walked back to her room.

Nick finished his lunch and brushed his hands on his shorts, getting up from the stool to put his plate away. He made his way into Jess' room as she was putting Jack in a new outfit.

Nick leaned against the doorframe. "You know what I was thinking? He's actually pretty lucky. When he has questions about girls, he has TWO moms who know all about picking up chicks."

"Really, Nick?"

"Hey, aren't you the one that always looks for the best in everything? I'm just sayin'..."

She gave him one of her smirks and walked over to Nick. "Hey, I need to get his bottle ready. Can you stay with him for a second?"

"Sure". Nick walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed. He bounced him and Jack smiled. "Not too long though. I don't want to get peed on too."

Jess ran out of the room, stopping dead in her tracks a few steps down the hall. "Darn." She turned quickly on her heels to get the bottle from the diaper bag in her room. She stopped at the doorway when she saw Nick having a little conversation with Jack as he bounced him on his knee.

"So, two moms, huh? Yeah, that's a pretty raw deal, kid." He lifted the baby and got close to his little face, whispering. "I know something about not having a dad around. It kinda sucks. I'm not going to ever do that to my kids." He held Jack back at arms length, jiggling him side to side, as he let out a cooing sound. Then he sat him back down on his knee. "Oh, yeah, you thought I wasn't the dad type, huh?" Nick leaned close to Jack again, as the baby grabbed at his cheeks. "Well, don't tell your aunt Jess, but I kinda think about kids a lot." The baby smiled and smacked Nick's nose with his right fist. Nick let out a laugh, "Yeah? You think so huh? Well, when you need a guy around, you just call me, ok little dude?"

Jess tilted her head and smiled, standing in the doorway for a few moments. Taking a step back before clearing her throat, she stepped back into the room.

"Just forgot the bottle." She stepped toward the end of the bed and gently tapped Jack on the nose. "I'll be right back." She caught Nick's eye and gave him a big smile, leaning down and kissing his cheek. "I think that little guy really likes you."

Nick made a face as Jess left the room again. He stuck his tongue out at Jack, "Girls." Jack looked at Nick and let out a funny little yelp as Nick started laughing.

* * *

The rest of the afternoon went smoothly, and when Sadie and Melissa returned, Jack was all packed up and ready to go.

Sadie took the diaper bag as Jess handed it to her. "Thanks so much, guys. We really appreciate it."

Melissa took Jack from Nick, as Sadie threw the diaper bag over her shoulder. "Yeah, we know it isn't taking care of a baby for an entire afternoon."

Jess smiled. "No problem. It was fun."

Nick pointed to Jess. "Yeah, he only peed on her once."

They all laughed as Melissa and Sadie started to walk toward the door. They stopped short and turned around. Sadie smiled, "Hey, we actually wanted to ask you guys something." She looked at Melissa, who nodded, before they both turned to Nick and Jess.

Sadie smiled at Jess. "If you guys wouldn't think it's weird, we'd love for you to be Jack's godparents."

Jess squealed, jumping up and down and leaped forward to hug Sadie. "Oh my god. YES. Yes, we'd love to!"

Nick just stared and scrunched up his face, clearly uncomfortable. Suddenly everyone was looking at him. Sadie shook her head. "Hey, I totally understand if you say no, Nick. We just" she glanced at Melissa and then back at Nick. "we don't know many guys we really trust."

Jess reached out and touched his arm. "Nick, you'd be great." She stepped closer to hug his arm and looked at Sadie. "Jack was in LOVE with Nick. He was the only one that could calm him down and get him to sleep with his burrito trick."

Sadie raised her eyebrows. "Burrito trick?"

Jess gave Nick's shoulder a bump with her own as he gave a little smile. "Yeah, this guy totally surprised me knowing how to swaddle a baby."

Melissa and Sadie both grinned. Melissa laughed, "Then we totally made the right choice, what do you say?"

Nick nodded slowly. "Ok then. Yeah. Sure."

Melissa let out a little squeal as she gave Nick a quick hug with the arm not holding Jack. "GREAT! We'll fill you in on all the details for the baptism."

Jess had a huge grin on her face as she gave both of them hugs. "Well, you guys have a safe trip home." She waved to Jack. "Bye little guy!"

Nick reached out and pretended to fist bump Jack as he laid his head on Melissa's shoulder. "later buddy".

Jess continued to smile as they left the apartment and she closed the door. She spun around and threw her arms around Nick's neck. "EEEEEEK, I'm so excited. We're godparents!"

Nick laughed. "Yeah, uh. Whatever THAT means."

Jess stepped back and slapped his chest. "NICK! This is a big deal!"

"I guess. Pretty sure they're going to regret picking me though."

Jess raised her eyebrows. "I saw you with Jack, there's no pretending now, Miller. You liked having him here, admit it."

Nick scrunched up his face, then laughed. "Ok, maybe a little. You know, for a few HOURS. It's a long time before I'm ready for that full time though."

Jess sighed. "Yeah, I guess." She paused and nervously bit her lower lip. "You think you want kids someday though, right?" She said quietly.

Without thinking Nick blurted out. "Absolutely, we should just wait a little."

A small gasp came out of Jess' mouth as Nick realized what he had just said. "Well, I mean..." He nervously looked at Jess.

Jess stepped forward and kissed him, as he wrapped his arms around her waist. She rested her chin on his shoulder, whispering in his ear "No panicking allowed Miller, I think about it too".

Nick smiled, hugging her tightly and then pulling her away from him. "YOU get all the diapers though."

Jess kissed his cheek. "Deal."


	5. Too hot to handle

It was the middle of June and Jess had just gotten home from teaching her writing class. She opened the loft door and stepped inside. She was wearing a navy blue sundress with tiny white polka dots on it. As she stepped inside, she was hit with a wave of hot air and she grimaced in disgust. Schmidt and Winston were both laying on opposite sides of the couch in only their boxers.

Jess threw her keys and purse on the table by the door and walked over to the couch. "What am I seeing here?" She motioned between the two of them. They both moaned, barely opening their eyes.

Winston raised his arm and lazily dropped it over the side of the couch. "AC is out."

Jess looked around. "Where's Nick?"

Schmidt sat up and turned to lean his back against the couch. "Your boy toy is trying to fancy fix the cool air over there." He haphazardly motioned down the hallway.

Jess rolled her eyes and walked down the hall toward the laundry room. When she got to the small room just past hers, she leaned her shoulder against the door frame and crossed her arms in front of her. Nick was sitting on the floor in only a pair of shorts, his hair ruffled.

She smiled at him, "Hey sexy."

He looked up and returned the smile. "Back already? What time is it?"

Jess shrugged her shoulders. "Almost 1."

Nick pressed his lips together and shook his head. "Well, that should do it." He stood up and dropped his wrench in his toolbox. "For now anyway." He walked over and gave Jess a kiss.

"Those idiots still whining out there?"

Jess rolled her eyes "What do YOU think?"

Nick leaned past her and glanced up and down the hallway. As he pulled back into the room, he lowered his voice and grabbed her waist. "So, want to sneak into the shower with me?" He wiggled his eyebrows.

At first she gave him one of her looks, but she slowly started to smile as he continued to stare at her. She bit her lip and reached behind her back to unzip her dress. "Race ya!"

They tore off around the corner and into the bathroom, leaving their clothes in a pile on the bench under the row of hooks by the shower. Nick jumped into the shower, turning on the water and Jess closed the curtain behind them. She reached up to pull the clip out of her hair, her curls falling around her face as Nick grabbed her waist and pulled her close for a kiss under the stream of water.

She let out a small gasp as their chests crashed into each other, her clip falling from her hand. "Nick!"

"Shhhh!" He pressed his lips to hers in an effort to silence her.

"Did you just kiss me to keep me quiet, Miller?" She hissed.

He kissed her again. "Maybe. Is that a problem?"

She let out a soft giggle. "What do YOU think?"

Just then they heard the door to the bathroom open. Nick pressed his lips together, his widening eyes staring at her as he shook his head from side to side. Jess leaned her forehead against Nick's chest to keep herself from laughing.

Schmidt called out. "Nicholas, is it safe to assume we've seen the end to our day in Haiti?"

Nick shouted back. "Should be ok, at least 'til Remy can get up here." Jess started to tease him by softly running her nails up and down his back. He leaned over and whispered in her face. "You're gonna get it!" She smiled deviously as Schmidt continued.

"Well hurry up in there, the rest of us would like to get a shower too, seeing as it took you all morning to fix the air."

Nick took his hands off of Jess' waist, using them both to pull her hair back behind her back for better access to her neck. He started kissing her neck, as her knees started to buckle and she gently slapped his chest. "Nick..." Her expression quickly changed from irritation to satisfaction as a soft moan escaped her lips, her eyes closing as her head rolled away from his. He paused, his hands resting on her shoulders as he pulled back and smiled.

"Be done in a minute, Schmidt." He called out, as Jess straightened up and opened her eyes.

She gently pushed him into the wall behind him, out of the stream of water, and teased. "Oh, just a MINUTE, huh?"

Nick cleared his throat and grabbed her waist again, shouting back out to Schmidt. "Or maybe ten?...minutes..." Jess wiggled her eyebrows and pressed her lips to his. He smiled against her kisses, his voice muffled "right...more...minutes"

Schmidt sighed in frustration, "whatever", and stomped out of the bathroom, the door swinging shut behind him.

They continued to kiss as Nick slowly walked Jess backwards across the shower stall to the opposite wall, his back now in the stream of water. She slid her hands up around his neck. "Oh, I see how it is. Stealing all the water while I freeze?" She taunted playfully.

He smiled and spun them around so she was under the water and he leaned his back against the wall. He crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes. "Always have to go first, don't ya?"

She flashed him a satisfied smile and reached over to grab the shampoo. She squirted a drop into her left palm and then held the bottle out. Nick just shook his head and held out his hands. After returning the bottle to the wire rack on the wall, she ran her fingers through her own hair and then reached out to ruffle his.

He laughed, leaning forwards and gently nudging her with his shoulder to steal the spot under the shower head. Jess reached out and playfully pushed his chest. "HEY, no fair!" They both laughed as they fought for the spot under the water, shampoo running down their faces. Jess squeezed her eyes shut and frantically wiped her face. "You are soooo going to pay for this, Miller!"


	6. Because now we can

Nick leaned on the handle of the shopping cart, looking over Jess' shoulder as she studied the list in her hand.

"Ok," she said, looking from the list to the shelf. "it says NOT the one with almonds..." She grabbed a bag of granola and threw it in the cart.

Nick growled. "Tell Schmidt to come pick up his own damn food next time. This is ridiculous."

Jess turned around and rolled her eyes at him. "Quit being such a poo, he only added a couple of thing."

"Did you just call me a _poo?" _

She put her hands on her hips, cocking her head to one side. "What if I did? You ARE being pretty grumpy right now."

Nick shook his head. "I just don't know when it became OUR job to search for all of Schmidt's weird hippy food."

Jess shrugged and narrowed her eyes, "I'll have to remember that the next time you," she playfully poked his chest, "send me on a wild goose chase for a specific brand of Rum."

He quickly grabbed the hand near his chest before she could pull it away, a smile forming slowly across his face. "Point taken, Day." He let out an exasperated sigh as she leaned over to kiss his cheek.

She waved the list in front of his face, her eyes sparkling playfully. "Next up are," she leaned back with a devious look on her face, raising her eyebrows, "dessert toppings." She winked and spun herself around, her bright red dress flowing around her.

He couldn't help but laugh as he followed her down the aisle. How did that woman actually manage to make him happy shopping for _groceries._ He crossed his arms over the cart handle and watched her glancing back and forth from her list to the shelf, humming to herself quietly. Every once and awhile she would look back at him and flash him one of her infectious smiles. Yep, he was goner. How many times had he come shopping with Jess before? Dozens? A hundred? But now that they were together, he found himself enjoying it even more. Him, NICK MILLER, enjoying shopping at a _grocery store. _He shook his head and let out a small grunt under his breath, smiling to himself.

Jess had walked up to him and was frowning. "Nick. Nick, did you say something?" She just stared at him waiting for a response.

Nick shook his head quickly, snapping himself out of his daydream. "What?"

She smiled. "Did you ask me something?" Nick's eyes traveled back and forth between her eyes and mouth for a second before he leaned in and startled her with a kiss. She gently placed her hands on his arm, speaking softly while looking in his eyes. "What was that for?"

He instinctively grabbed her waist and shrugged. "I might like this."

Jess feigned annoyance. "_MIGHT?" _She pulled her head back and frowned. "Wait, shopping for food or kissing me?"

"Please," He gave her another quick kiss. "Did you just ask if I like kissing you? Really Jess?"

She laughed. "OK, dumb question."

"Very dumb."

She wrapped her left arm around his waist and gave him a sideways hug while they started walking again. "So, can I ask you a question?" Nick stopped, looking down at her as she bit her lip and nervously started scratching at a sticker on the cart handle with her right hand. "Do you ever catch yourself thinking if this is actually real?" Jess felt Nick's arm go limp around her waist and she started to stumble on her works. "I mean. It's strange, right?" She slowly turned her head towards his, "we've done this kind of thing for two years, no big deal, and now..." she paused and looked down at the floor. Her right foot twisted back and forth behind her, rocking her hips gently from side to side.

Nick's trailed his finger along her waist before he leaned his elbows on the cart handle, lowering his eyes directly in front of hers. "You mean because now we can do this?" He kissed her softly. "And this?" He reached down and grabbed her hand, holding tightly. She smiled as he bent their arms upward and pulled her close to him, her head leaning against his shoulder.

"Yeah." she whispered.

"All the time."


	7. Dating your roommate

Jess flopped down on her stomach across Nick's bed, leaning on her elbows, her phone in front of her. Even though it was still early, she had just changed into her navy blue pajamas with the stars all over them. She tapped her phone and sent Nick a text at the bar.

_just came to bed_

_already?_

_S is whining on the couch. something about his lady drama_

_such a wacko. you tired?_

_nah_

There was a long pause and Jess typed again. _was she hot?_

Nick finally wrote back. _who?_

_whoever you just served_

_not my type, too tall _

_so nice long legs, huh?_

_nice try Day_

She laughed. _good answer._ Jess sat up and slid under the covers. She leaned back against the pillow. _bed is too cold_

_Yours or mine?_

_yours silly_

_why SILLY?_

_then I don't miss you as much_

Nick smiled, trying to think of something sweet to say. His mind wandered to how adorable he thought it was that Jess always chose HIS bed to sleep in when he worked late at the bar. Dating his roommate was turning out to be pretty damn amazing.

He typed into his phone again. _use my side, then it's warm for me. ;-)_

_you got it_

_don't wait up. closing tonight. get some sleep_

_wake me when you get in_

_why?_

_so I can kiss you goodnight_

Nick smiled. Yep, dating his roommate was pretty damn amazing._  
_


	8. The real you

Schmidt was sitting on the part of the coach directly across from the front door when Nick came home from an early shift at the bar. "Hey Schmidt." Schmidt wordlessly gestured his hand in the air and continued to stare at the tv. Nick went straight to the fridge for a beer and made his way over to the opposite couch, sitting down and leaning back to close his eyes.

"Jess home?" He asked Schmidt, opening his eyes and taking a sip of his drink.

Schmidt nodded toward the hallway. "She's in her room, I think I was boring her. Although I can't figure out why." Nick raised his eyebrows.

"Going out tonight?"

"I'm meeting Elizabeth later, you?"

Nick shook his head. "Not planning on it."

A few minutes later, Jess came out around the corner dressed in a bright purple and black striped dress with a black cardigan. Nick took another sip of his beer and smiled. "Where are you going?"

Jess frowned. "I thought we were going out for drinks tonight?"

Nick's eyes widened. "Wait, what? When did we decide this?"

"Yesterday," she nervously twisted her necklace, glancing over at Schmidt, then back to Nick. She lowered her voice, "in the shower..." She tapped her foot lightly and raised her eyebrows.

Schmidt grimaced. "Um, blech..."

Jess shot Schmidt an evil glance, "shut up Schmidt". She looked back at Nick expectantly. "Well?"

"Forget it, I don't wanna go."

Jess threw her arms down at her sides, her hands balling up into fists. "Why not?!"

He sat up on the couch, throwing his free hand up in frustration. "Because, Jessica, I've spent the past six nights in a row WORKING in a bar. I just want to sit on my damn couch and do nothing tonight."

"It's just for a few hours, COME ON! I've been stuck here all week, I need a break!"

"Why don't you call Cece for once. I'm _tired_." He stared at her, his face angry.

Jess crossed her arms over her chest, tears forming in her eyes as she stomped off to her room and shut the door.

Schmidt shook his head. "That was cold."

"WHAT?" Nick barked. Schmidt just raised his eyebrows. "What the hell are you talking about Schmidt? Stay out of it."

Schmidt shook his head. "Well, I would love to do that, Nicholas. But seeing as how my _home_ has been turned into a battleground, I can't really do that. Now can I?"

Nick rolled his eyes, getting up off the couch. "Whatever Schmidt, just shut up for once." Nick walked past him, heading to the kitchen.

"Don't you even want to KNOW why she stormed off just now?"

Nick stopped behind the couch and threw up his arms. "Fine, Schmidt. Why don't you tell me why my girlfriend is mad at me right now."

Schmidt turned, laying his right arm on the top of the couch. "Cece and Jess aren't speaking." he said in a matter of fact tone.

Nick's voice lowered slightly, still angry. "What are you talking about Schmidt, she's her best friend."

"You mean, YOU," he pointed at Nick. "Jess' own _boyfriend_ doesn't even know she hasn't talked to her best friend in over a week?" Schmidt let out a grunt of disgust under his breath and shook his head. "Nice, Nick. Real nice." He spun around and got off the couch.

Schmidt walked past Nick, towards his room, Nick following him and slamming his beer bottle on the counter. "What the hell is THAT supposed to mean?!"

Schmidt paused by his doorway, "Oh, I don't know...It means you should quit complaining about having a woman who actually wants to _spend time with you_ Nick, and go find out why she's been crying herself to sleep every night this week." He motioned toward Jess' room, before he turned into his room and slammed the door.

* * *

Nick shook his head slowly and ran his fingers through his hair. He turned around and sighed, as he walked toward Jess' room. He lightly tapped on her door. "Jess."

She screamed from inside. "JUST GO AWAY. GO RELAX ON YOUR COUCH!"

His jaw tightened and he took a deep breath. "Jess, OPEN THE DOOR." He paused listening for doorknob, lowering his voice. "Please."

"Leave me alone." Her voice was closer, he could hear her standing directly on the other side of the door.

He put his hand on the doorknob and leaned his shoulder against the door. He sighed, "I don't want to fight. Will you please just open the door?"

She replied harshly. "You know it's not locked."

A smile crept onto his face, knowing from her tone that she didn't _really_ want him to go away. He slowly turned the doorknob and opened the door. She had quickly thrown herself into a heap on her bed, facing away from him. Her dress was bunched up around her thighs and her hair was spread out across her pillow. He slowly walked around to the other side of the bed and sat down.

"What's up with you, Jess? Why are you so mad?" He reached over to brush the hair off her face, but she jerked away to bury her face in the pillow.

Her voice was muffled into the pillow. "I don't want to talk about it."

He laughed because even though he knew what she said, it sounded a lot like _I duf wa tata boo e. _He thought he could make her laugh, so he replied with a "what about your boobs?"

She rolled back on the pillow, brushing the hair off her face. "What?"

He pointed at her. "HA, gotcha."

She scowled at him and crossed her arms in front of her. "Funny."

He sighed as he laid down on his stomach next to her, brushing a finger under her eye to wipe a streak of mascara that had been running down her cheek. He suddenly felt terrible, realizing he had upset her enough to cry. "What's going on?"

"Nothing." She huffed, blowing her bangs out of her face. "I'm fine."

Nick scooted closer to her. "What happened with Cece?"

Her eyes shot to his. "Who told y..." She pursed her lips. "Stupid Schmidt."

"HE shouldn't have to." He frowned at her as she looked away. They laid in silence for a few minutes, before Jess wiped her eyes.

Nick spoke softly. "Want a tissue?" Jess just nodded. He quickly sat up to grab the tissue box on his side of the bed and handed it to her as he laid back down. She gave him a quick smile and took one out of the box.

"Thanks."

He watched her wipe her eyes and slowly roll over to face him, sniffling a few times and grabbing his hand. "Well I guess I look pretty horrible to go out now anyway," she whispered.

Nick shook his head. "No. And if you still want to go out, I will do it." He paused. "No complaining, I promise."

She gave him a weak smile and shook her head. "It's fine. No big deal. Sorry I stormed off."

He squeezed her hand. "Want me to leave?"

She shook her head slowly.

"Want to talk about it?"

She shook her head again.

He slid himself up bed onto the pillows. He lifted his arm as she put her head on his chest. He wrapped his arm around her to rub her back as her left hand started to draw circles on his stomach. He spoke softly into her hair. "I like your new dress. You look really nice."

Her hand froze as she smiled. "You noticed?"

He reached across his stomach to grab her hand, gently pulling her arm to coax her to look at him. She turned onto her stomach to rest her chin on his chest, looking up at him with her big blue eyes.

"Your boyfriend is a huge idiot for not wanting to show you off tonight in that dress. You know that, right?"

She let go of his hand and reached up to play with his hair. "Can't argue there, Miller."

He laughed as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. She slid up to kiss him and then laid her head back down on his shoulder.

"Still not talking about Cece?"

She took a deep breath, pausing before she answered. "She's mad because I won't take her side."

"Her side?" He asked, confused.

"I made the mistake of saying I thought Elizabeth was good for Schmidt. She was pretty pissed. I haven't talked to her all week."

It all made sense now. "Gotcha. So you really think he made the right choice?"

Jess shrugged. "I don't know, honestly. But you have to admit, he's a much nicer person when she's around."

"Can't argue there."

"What do you think?" She pushed up to a seated position, sitting crossed legged next to him. She took his left hand in hers and started to play with his fingers.

He tucked his right arm behind his head and smiled slyly. "I'm not sure I know how to answer that."

Jess smiled, turning his hand over and lightly tracing his palm with her index finger. She looked up at him. "What DO you think? Am I wrong?"

He cleared his throat, sure that no matter what he said, it wasn't going to go over well. "I don't know..." She started to give him an exasperated look. "Wait, I'm not finished..." He gave a little laugh and continued. "They have a history. They were together a long time and she definitely knows Schmidt inside and out." He paused, afraid the next thing he was going to say wasn't going to make as much sense out loud as inside his head. "But, she's also hung up on a version of Schmidt that doesn't really exist anymore, you know?" He searched Jess's eyes, and then continued. "She doesn't really know the REAL Schmidt. He's a totally different guy than he was ten years ago."

Nick watched as Jess was clearly deep in thought. He could see tears forming in her eyes, and he felt himself starting to panic. He felt like he had probably said something wrong, and he was afraid of what she was thinking.

Jess took both her hands and tucked her hair behind her ears, then placed them in her lap. He saw her expression become serious and he leaned up on his elbow expectantly. "Nick, I know you still think about what my dad said and not being good enough." He winced as she looked up at him. "But...you know I don't expect you to CHANGE, right?" All he could do was stare at her as she continued. "I fel..." She stopped herself suddenly and took a deep breath. "I feel like I know you better than anyone I've ever dated. When I said I wanted to give this a try, I meant with YOU, not with some expectation for you to be someone you're not."

Nick felt an overwhelming happiness come over him as he stared into her bright blue eyes. No one had ever said anything like that to him before. The truth was that she made him WANT to be the best version of himself. He knew she would never ask him to change, but she somehow made his life so much better. He was lucky. Damn lucky. And even though he wasn't always good with words, there wasn't a single thing he wouldn't do to SHOW her how much he needed her.

Without hesitation, Nick grabbed her and pulled her on top of him, kissing her hard. He felt her giggle against his lips. Pulling away, she smiled. "Not such a bad idea to stay here tonight." He smiled and rolled her over on her back, his right hand behind her neck tangled in her hair. He started kissing her neck as her hands ran down his sides and under his shirt over his chest. A moan escaped her lips as she pushed him back onto his back, pulling her hips on top of his. She sat up and threw her cardigan toward the door as he reached around to unzip her dress. She grabbed his hands and shook her head. She leaned forward and whispered in his ear. "Wouldn't it be hot if I kept it on?" He smiled as she unbuckled his pants. She lifted herself up just enough for him to slide his pants down and she reached into her nightstand drawer.

Tomorrow he would take her out. Tonight they were staying right here.


	9. Rooftop reflections

Jess had gotten home from Cece's over an hour ago. Instead of going into the loft, she had come straight to the roof. She knew the guys were all home, and she didn't want to hurt Nick's feelings since she really wanted to be alone. This had become the most complicated part of living together so far. Neither one of them were very good at communicating to the other when they needed space, which usually resulted in a huge fight with one of them ending up hurt and insecure, simply because the other just wanted some time alone. As long as the weather was nice, she found going to the roof was a perfect solution. Being the beginning of July, it was too hot to stay up here much longer, but she still needed time to think. Cece had given her a huge beach umbrella that they had used as a prop in a commercial a few weeks ago, and she had managed to lug it all the way up here when she got home. She had laid it on it's side, cramming it into the corner of the roof. She was laying on a chair under the shade of the umbrella when her phone beeped.

_roof?_

She smiled when she saw Nick's text, hoping he wouldn't be angry or worried that she had come right up here.

_yes_

_need company?_

_sure_

_be up in 10 minutes?_

_good_

She smiled as she put down the phone and laid back to close her eyes.

* * *

The guys were all sitting on the couch watching tv, when Schmidt turned to Nick. "Where's Jess anyway?"

Nick shook his head. "I don't know."

Schmidt rolled his eyes. "Well I saw her car when I got home from Elizabeth's" His eyes narrowed. "Where IS she, Nick?"

Nick gave Schmidt a disgusted look. "Quit it Schmidt, she doesn't have to tell me where she is. Maybe she's hiding from YOU and your annoying questions."

Winston laughed and looked at Schmidt. "Give it a rest, man."

Schmidt stood up and started walking to the kitchen. Nick started to shake his leg as Winston looked at him. "Nick, go call her."

Nick stared at the tv. "What?"

Winston leaned forward onto his knees, so Schmidt wouldn't hear him. "Jess. Go call her."

Nick just looked at Winston, shook his head and headed to his room.

When Nick got to his room, he closed the door behind him and sat down on the bed. He opened his phone and sent a text to Jess, guessing that she was probably up on the roof needing time to herself. He smiled when she replied and decided to make her lunch before he headed upstairs.

Schmidt was back on the couch next to Winston when Nick came back out of his room and headed to the kitchen. He went straight to the fridge to pull out the leftover subs from the night before and packed them into a small cooler with a couple bottles of water. He headed for the front door, giving the guys a quick wave on the way out.

"Later"

Winston and Schmidt just stared at him and shook their heads. Just before leaving, Nick glanced to his left and saw Jess' bottle of sunscreen sitting on the table by the door. He shrugged his shoulders, grabbed the bottle, and left the apartment.

Winston laughed, turning to Schmidt. "Those two are so weird." Schmidt just rolled his eyes.

* * *

When Nick opened the door to the roof, he was met by the blinding sun. He shielded his eyes and looked around for Jess, laughing when he saw a bright pink umbrella in the opposite corner. As he walked closer he saw Jess laying on a chair in a short white skirt and a yellow tank top, her eyes closed. The sun had clearly moved since she had laid down, and the bottom of her legs were now in the sun, looking very pink. Nick ducked his head and sat down next to her chair, putting the cooler down next to him. He quietly leaned over toward her face, leaning on the chair.

"Hey beautiful." He whispered softly and reached out to rub her arm.

She jumped slightly and sat up, his arm being throw off hers. She started laughing and as she swung her legs around to sit up. "God, I'm sorry."

He rubbed her knees, laughing. "I deserved that."

She winced a little as his hand traveled down her leg to her ankle. "Ow, I forgot how fast I burn up here."

"Oh hey," Nick turned and grabbed the sunscreen, handing it to her. "thought you might need this."

Jess tilted her head to the side and leaned over to kiss him. "Always looking out for me, Miller."

His lips smiled against her kiss. "I do what I can."

She leaned back on the chair and opened the bottle of sunscreen. Nick grabbed it from her. "Nuh uh, let me." He winked, squeezing some into his hand, and gently started massaging it into her calves, working his way up her leg. She leaned back on her hands on the chair and closed her eyes.

"I think you should give up bartending."

He frowned, his hands stopping their circular motion. "What?"

She reached up to take off her sunglasses and gave him a mischievous smile. "You would make a pretty spectacular masseuse."

He laughed and resumed massaging the lotion into her legs. "Oh, so you wouldn't mind me touching dozens of incredibly gorgeous women all day long?"

She scrunched up her face. "Hmm, well, maybe you could just go into sports massage." She paused, squinting at him. "You know, for MALE athletes or something." She leaned forward and playfully put her hands on his shoulders. "And then I could be there to watch."

Nick scrunched up his face and stuck out his tongue. "JESS!"

She laughed as she slid off the chair onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around her waist, leaning his head to nuzzle her neck. She moaned as he started kissing the sensitive spot just under her ear.

"Damn, Miller."

His continued kissing her neck as his hands rubbed up and down her back. She suddenly pulled back and gave him a little smirk. He let out a laugh as she swatted his shoulder. "Ok, ok. Point taken, I'll stop."

She smiled. "Raincheck though." She kissed his cheek and wiggled her eyebrows. "DEFINITE rain check." He nodded as she slid off his lap, sitting to his left and leaned her back against the chair, pulling her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.

Nick scooted next to her, crossing his legs. "You know, it's hard to resist you when I come up here and you're wearing this." He motioned his hand up and down, still squinting his eyes in the blinding sun.

"You know it IS July."

He shrugged his shoulders, grinning. He leaned forward and grabbed the cooler. "Thought you'd be hungry." She smiled and he started to open the cooler, handing her one of the leftover sandwiches wrapped in wax paper. "How long were you up here, anyway?"

She took the sandwich and started to unwrap it, shrugging her shoulders. "Maybe an hour."

He opened his sandwich and took a bite. "Everything ok?"

She sighed and placed the untouched sandwich in front of her, repositioning herself with her legs crossed under her. She leaned forward and absentmindedly started picking tomatoes off the sandwich. "I don't know what to say to Cece anymore."

Nick nodded. "She still mad about Schmidt and Elizabeth?"

She shrugged. "I guess, she doesn't even want to talk about it. And she refuses to come over here, because she'll run into him. I'm just tired..." She frowned, her head handing low.

Nick put his sandwich down, wrapping his left arm around her shoulders and pulling her close. He kissed the top of her head. "Sorry."

Jess just sighed. "She'll get over it I guess. She wants me to go out with her and the models tonight."

Nick frowned a little. "Oh, um,...that sounds...fun."

Jess pulled back and rolled her eyes. "Really Nick. FUN?!"

He laughed. "Hey you said it, not me. I'm just trying to be the supportive boyfriend here."

They both laughed, as they went back to eating their sandwiches. They ate in silence for a few minutes before Nick finished his and was crumpling the paper.

"So," he motioned to the umbrella. "Where did this thing come from anyway?"

Jess laughed, wiping her mouth as a piece fell out onto the paper underneath her. "Cece."

Nick raised his eyebrows. "Why does she own a huge pink umbrella?"

She finished chewing the bite in her mouth. "Leftover prop from a sunglasses commercial."

He leaned back, throwing the wad of crumpled paper back into the cooler. "Ah, gotcha." He looked up at it and back at Jess. "Pretty good deal."

Jess shrugged and leaned across him to throw her trash in the cooler, grabbing the water and sliding to position herself right in front of Nick. "Thanks for lunch big guy."

Nick grimaced and put his hands on her knees. "Big guy?"

Jess pointed her fingers as guns toward Nick and winked. "You know it."

Nick scrunched his mouth to the side and nodded. "Ok, well when you're talking about THAT..."

Jess climbed into his lap, straddling him, as she pushed his back into the chair behind him. Nick moaned as her fingers made their way around his neck scratching him gently as she kissed him hard. "So," she continued to kiss him. "about that rain check."

He smiled against her lips. "Hmmmm, now?"

She nodded, her lips never leaving his.

He pulled back and squinted his eyes at her. "Up here?"

She had a devious grin on her face and shrugged, glancing around. "Why not?"

He started to shake his head. "But I don't have a..."

She leaned around him and grabbed her purse that was laying under the chair. She brought her fingers to her forehead and gave him a salute. "Jessica Day, always prepared."

Nick stared at her. "You're amazing, you know that?"

She just tilted her head to the side and shrugged. She quickly swung her legs to her left side, still on his lap as he straightened his legs out in front of him. She winked at him as she slipped off her panties from underneath her skirt, tossing them toward the pole of the umbrella to her left. She positioned herself back across Nick's lap as he sat there staring at her. She laughed and started kissing his neck, whispering in his ear.

"You make this really hard with your pants still on." She reached down and started unzipping his shorts, as he lifted up just enough for her to slide them down to his thighs. Nick pulled back and looked into her eyes.

"Jess, I ..." He swallowed hard as she tilted her head to one side and anticipated what he was going to say next. He paused and shook his head, smiling while his eyes never left hers. His voice was a cracked whisper as all he could get out was "You're really amazing."

He leaned back as her body melted into his, her lips pressing softly against his own. Why couldn't he say it? He had tried so hard over the past few weeks to tell her those simple words he desperately wanted to tell her. He loved her. He loved her more than he had ever loved anyone else, but he just couldn't get the words out. He wanted so badly to tell her, but once again the moment had passed him by.

Tomorrow.

Tomorrow he would tell her.


	10. Tools

**I know, I know, I need to finish my other stories, but I can't get these savory little stories out of my head! :-) **

* * *

"Hey Jess, have you seen my set of Allen wrenches?" Nick had a hand on either side of the door frame, leaning into her room.

It was late in the afternoon, and Jess had been sorting through her clothes since lunch. She walked out of her closet with several dresses thrown over her left arm, pushing her glasses up her nose. "Um, who?"

"My Allen wrenches. You know, the ones you used when you insisted on buying me a shelf for the pants in my closet?" He folded his arms across his chest as he stepped into her room.

She thought for a moment. "Wait, you mean those cute little metal things shaped like L's?"

Nick rolled his eyes. "Yes, Jess. And they aren't _cute, _they are TOOLS."

She pointed to her desk before turning around to continue organizing her closet. "Right there."

Nick lunged forward to grab them. "Tha...Wait, what is this?!" She popped her head back out of the closet as he pointed to a large white sticker across the center of the set.

She smiled. "Oh, it was too hard to read the little numbers, so I made a label."

Nick held it closer to his face to get a better look. "You put a label on them?"

Jess walked over and flipped the set over. "Well yeah, see how the sizes are just little raised up numbers? No one can actually READ that Nick." She shrugged. "So I labeled them myself."

He flipped the set back over, and saw her neat handwriting across the white label, with tiny little arrows pointing to each slot. He raised his eyebrows. "Huh, that actually makes sense."

She smiled. "Well, of course it does." She rolled her eyes and returned to her closet once again.

Nick shrugged his shoulders and went back to his room. He was gone for only a minute when he huffed back into her room, more irritated this time. Jess had finished hanging her dresses and was dumping a box of hats and gloves onto the bed.

"Jessica," She jumped at his loud voice. "Did you take my tape measure too?!"

She threw her hands in the air exasperated. "God Nick, I don't know. It's probably on my desk." She gestured towards her desk while muttering under her breath, "so much for cleaning my closet today."

"What was that?" Nick called as he rummaged around.

She sighed loudly. "Nothing, Nick."

He was rustling papers and slamming things around on her desk when she walked over to the table with her sewing machine, snatched the tape measure, and held it out in front of his face in frustration.

"Here. I'm already cleaning my closet, I don't feel like reorganizing my desk too!"

"You TOLD me to look for it on here," he gestured across the desk. "And look, it wasn't even OVER HERE! I thought you said you didn't know where it was?" He growled angrily, taking it from her hand.

She put her hands on her hips. "Well maybe I just remembered. Do you want it back or not?"

Nick closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them up again, Jess was staring straight at him with a scowl on her face. "Look Jess, if you need something done, just ask me or...at least put the tools back!"

She blew her bangs out of her face and rolled her eyes. "FINE! Geez, Miller."

"What was it even doing with your sewing machine anyway?"

She shrugged. "I may have accidentally cut through my fabric one."

Nick sighed loudly and shook his head. "Fine, just...ugh." He stomped out of the room, slamming his bedroom door behind him.

Jess marched over to her own door and slammed it shut in response.

* * *

Jess spun on her heels, yanked her hair off her face to fix her ponytail, and walked back over to her bed, aggressively sorting the pile of items on her bed. She gradually calmed herself down and went back to organizing her closet. Losing track of time, she looked at her clock a little while later and saw that it had been over two hours since Nick had come into her room. It was getting late for dinner, so she decided to finish up and see what the guys were doing. She grabbed the last of the boxes to return to the shelf and realized it was too high for her to reach. Defeated, she put the box back on the bed and made her way across the hall to Nick's room.

"Hey Jess." Winston was coming from his room and startled her as she crossed the hallway.

"Oh, hey." She jumped back, and craned her neck to take a look in Nick's room, the door standing open.

Winston followed her gaze. "He left like an hour ago. Something about the hardware store? Said he'd be back later."

Jess frowned. "Oh."

"Need help?"

Jess smiled and pointed to her room. "Actually, I need help getting a box up on the top shelf in my closet."

Winston shrugged his shoulders and walked through her doorway, Jess at his heels. "Sure." He pointed to the box on the bed. "This one?"

Jess nodded and walked to her closet, pointing to an empty spot on the shelf. "Thanks. Right up there."

Winston placed the box on the shelf and turned around. "So what were you and Nick fighting about earlier?"

Jess let out a laugh. "Oh, you heard that?" Winston just raised his eyebrows, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Jess waved her hand dismissively. "Something about me borrowing his tools and not returning them. You know Nick about his tools." She rolled her eyes.

Winston's eyes grew large. "Wait, he lets you TOUCH his tools?" Jess gave him a strange look. "You know he doesn't allow ANYONE to touch them, right? Once I borrowed a hammer and he threatened to use it to break all the lamps in my room." His voice got low as he leaned towards her nervously glancing around. "And you know I don't DO the dark."

Jess frowned and shrugged her shoulders. "He didn't seem to mind when I asked."

Winston shook his head and let out a laugh, muttering under his breath as he turned toward the door. "Man he wasn't kidding about this love thing." Jess was taken aback hearing Winston use the term _love, _and a surprised gasp escaped her lips. Winston turned around, not realizing he said anything at all out of the ordinary. "What?"

Jess just stared at him wide eyed. "Um, nothing." Winston turned once again toward the door. "Wait, Winston? You know you said LOVE, right?"

Winston turned around and seeing the confused look on her face, his eyes began to nervously dart back and forth. "Well, you know. I mean. It's just a word. Right?" His arms crossed back and forth frantically in front of his chest. "Ha, good 'ol Winston, always saying things that don't mean a damn thing." He stopped short, made a fast turn on his heels and darted out the door. He was down the hallway locked in his room before Jess could even get out into the hallway.

_Had Nick really told Winston he was in love with her? _Jess shook her head. _There was no way that Nick and Winston would talk about that kind of stuff to each other, would they? Winston was probably just making an assumption based on how much time they were spending together. Yeah, that's probably what he meant._

* * *

With Winston still locked his room and the rest of the loft empty, she decided to make something quick to eat and wait for Nick to get home. She laid on the couch catching up on her DVR'd tv until around nine and decided to just take a shower and head to bed. She grabbed her phone off the coffee table and sent Nick a quick text. She was a little disappointed that he hadn't at least called, but remembering her conversation with Winston, she figured he was probably still pouting about his tools. Even though she thought he was being a little ridiculous, she did make a mental note to not assume that she was free to barge in and borrow his stuff whenever she felt like it. Sometimes being in a relationship with Nick was so unexpectedly complicated. Even normal roommate stuff suddenly seemed off limits now, because it suddenly turned into breaking arbitrary relationship rules. She wouldn't have thought twice about borrowing something like his laptop when they were just roommates, but now that they were a couple, it was awkward and made her feel like a crazy stalker girlfriend by using something so personal. It honestly gave her a headache sometimes trying to figure it all out.

She shook her head, picked up her empty ice cream bowl and teacup, and walked them over to the sink. She heard the front door open, but by the time she made it out into the hallway, she only saw Nick for a split second before he disappeared through is bedroom door and shut it behind him. She sighed and made her way to her room where she grabbed her robe and headed for the shower.

* * *

After her shower, Jess wrapped her wet hair in a towel and wiped the fog off the mirror in front of her. She hated fighting with Nick, but he hadn't even given her the chance to apologize, because he had disappeared all day. She finished brushing her teeth, put her glasses on and made her way back to her room. At this point she just wanted to crawl into bed and go to sleep, so she quickly changed into her pajamas and climbed under the covers. Just as she was ready to take her glasses off and go to sleep, she saw a box on the top of her desk with a big purple bow. She smiled and sat up, making her way to her desk. She reached for the envelope on the top of the box and opened it.

_As much as I love sharing things with you, I thought you might like your own better. Nick_

She shook her head and started to unwrap the box. When she opened the cardboard flaps, she giggled and pulled out a rectangular canvas tool bag. Inside, Nick had put together a toolkit just for her. Not only was it filled with every tool she could imagine, he had taken hot pink duct tape and carefully wrapped it around the handle on each one. Her eyes softened as she smiled. She grabbed the toolbox and ran across the hall. Nick's door was open and he was laying on his bed with his back towards her, staring off into space. She gently put the toolkit on the floor in front of the nightstand and slipped into bed behind him, wrapping her left arm around his waist and laying her cheek on his.

She grabbed his hand as she whispered. "I love it."

He smiled and rolled over onto his back. "I thought you might." He started to play with her hair, still wet from her shower. "I AM sorry though, Jess. You can borrow my things whenever you want, I really don't mind."

She leaned over and kissed him. "I should have put them back, I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Do you really like it?"

She let out a little squeal. "I LOVE it, Nick. It's so perfect!"

"I looked all over today for something girly, but all the decorated girl tools were way too whimpy. You need REAL tools," he winked at her.

She smiled and let out a small laugh. "Did you really wrap ALL those tools in duct tape yourself?"

He smiled proudly. "Yes I did." He laughed and pursed his lips together. "I thought the fluorescent pink tape was a nice touch."

She slapped his chest, still laughing. "That was a pretty ingenious idea, Miller."

He nodded and gave her a wink, as he pulled her head towards his for another kiss. "Thank you. Came up with it all by myself."

She made a surprised expression. "Oh, really." She laid her head on his shoulder and hugged his chest. "It's really amazing, Nick. Thank you." She turned onto her stomach and rested her chin on his chest, looking up at him. "You know, you have to teach me how to use them all though."

He kissed her forehead. "Deal." He wrapped his arms around her. "So are you ready for bed?"

She rolled her eyes. "Soooo ready."

He gently took his right hand and pushed her shoulder. "Well go turn out the light woman, and come to bed."

She laughed as she sat up. She quickly ran to the door to hit the light switch and took a running leap back into bed as he held the covers up for her. She snuggled next to him, laying her head on his shoulder. In a deep voice she said, "man go sleep". She felt his chest rise with his laughter and she hugged her arm across his waist. They both closed their eyes and started to drift off to sleep when Jess opened her eyes again and whispered softly, "Nick?"

His eyes remained closed as he grumbled a barely audible, "Yeah?"

She nervously started making circles on his arm with her fingers, her head remaining comfortably in the crook of his neck. "You're so sweet, and...this is the best relationship I've ever had..." She felt him softly catch his breath as she paused. "I just. I needed to tell you that."

Nick smiled and squeezed his arms around her tightly. His left hand swept softly over her shoulder, pulling her away from her face and down her back. "Me too, Jess."

She relaxed into his chest. "Goodnight, Nick."

"Goodnight."

* * *

**I know, there's no TOOL innuendos. I needed this to set up for a later chapter. Just trust me. ;-)**


	11. A California morning

**i debated whether or not to include this in the one shot series or not. It probably should be it's own story, since there's no real "conclusion", but ...it is what it is. I'd also like to add that I'm an East Coast gal, so I apologize for any gross inaccuracies on how to react after a minor earthquake. :-) **

**Wouldn't you want to just cuddle with Nick Miller too? Yeah...that's what I thought...**

* * *

Nick and Jess had the loft to themselves one Sunday morning, and Jess had decided to make them pancakes for breakfast. Nick sat down on the stool closest to the stove as she gathered all the ingredients and started the coffee.

"So I thought Schmidt was still fighting with Elizabeth." Jess moved the whistling tea kettle to a cool burner, and slid the pan for the pancakes onto the lit one to get warm.

"Yeah, who knows. I think I just tune him out now. I am SO sick of hearing about all of it."

Jess turned around and was laughing as she opened the cabinet and stood on her toes to reach a coffee mug. Just as she pulled it to the edge of the shelf, everything started to shake.

"JESS!" Nick jumped up off the stool and yanked her backwards, as the mug fell and shattered on the counter in front of her. Nick, still holding her upper arms spun her around and pushed her toward the dining area. "Table. NOW!"

Jess ran and grabbed the desk chair at the end of the table, throwing it backwards. They heard it roll and crash into the fridge as they dove under the table. Jess squatted onto her knees, covering her head as Nick wrapped his arms around her, his head tight against hers. The entire loft continued to shake. They heard their breakfast dishes shattering onto the floor to their left, and a large crash behind them onto the table.

"Nick..."

He hugged her tighter, his voice shaky. "Just stay down."

The shaking lasted another twenty seconds until everything started to settle down. Aside from distant sirens outside, everything around them fell silent. The whir of the A/C was missing, the electricity having gone out. They stayed motionless, their hearts racing and their breathing heavy. Nick slowly started rubbing her right arm with his hand, still holding her tight. He whispered softly against her cheek.

"Hey, you ok?"

Jess tried to catch her breath, as she pressed closer to Nick, her voice only a small squeak. "I think so. You?"

Nick felt her shaking and turned his head to kiss her cheek. "I'm ok." He took a deep breath and they both stayed huddled together for several minutes. "I think we're safe now, wait here."

"Nick." She grabbed his hand and squeezed it, as he started to crawl out from under the table. He turned back and smiled weakly.

"Just give me a second, in case anything is ready to fall."

He crawled out and slowly stood up, surveying the room around him. He bent down and reached out for Jess' hand. "I think we're good."

Jess grabbed his hand, standing up and giving a small gasp as she looked around the room. "Oh my God."

Nick pulled her close, hugging her tightly and kissing the top of her head. "We'll clean it up." He pulled away and looked down at her face. "You sure you're alright?"

She just nodded frantically as she continued to look around. Her voice was shaky and uneven. "Yeah, just a little freaked out, that's all."

"Um, me too. At least we're okay though. Do you remember where you had your phone?"

She pointed towards the door. "My purse was on the front table."

"We should call Schmidt and Winston, make sure they're okay." They started walking towards the door, stepping over the smashed douchebag jar that had fallen onto the floor from the shelf behind the couch.

When they reached the table, Jess grabbed her phone, but then gasped. "Nick, the stove. We should turn the gas off."

He patted her shoulder. "I got it. See if you can text them."

Nick turned around and maneuvered back to the kitchen, careful not to step on the broken glass from their breakfast plates on the floor, as he reached across to turn off the lit burner. He turned around and saw the basketball hoop haphazardly leaning on the table, the pole now slightly embedded in the wood. He ran his hands through his hair and shook his head. "Did you get them, Jess?" He yelled over to her.

"No signal Nick. What should we do?"

He walked back over to her and wrapped his left arm around her waist again. "Maybe I should go find Remy and see if he needs me to help shut anything off." He felt her hands dig into his arm.

"Do you have to leave, Nick? I don't want to be here alo..." Just then, the room began to shake again. Nick started pushing her.

They ran towards Nick's room, reaching the doorway just as the shaking stopped. Jess sighed loudly. "Aftershock. How many do you think they'll be?!"

He looked at her and shrugged his shoulders, his eyes wide. "I don't know Jess. I think maybe we should stay here for awhile, at least we'll be safe."

Jess took a deep breath and laid her head on his chest, her arms crossed tightly in front of her. "I hate earthquakes. Remind me again why I thought LA was a good idea?"

Nick pulled away from her and gave her a quick kiss, rubbing her arms. "Hey, I'm here, that's a good enough reason now, right?"

She gave him a weak smile and wrapped her arms around him "You got me Miller."

They stood in the door way in a tight embrace with each other for a few moments, as their breathing began to calm down.

Nick spoke. "So, what do you think we should do first?"

"Maybe we should start to clean up all the broken glass?"

"Good idea. I'll get the broom. Stay here until I get back, okay." He walked toward the laundry room and came back with the broom and dustpan. He handed it to her. "Be careful. I'm going to check the bathroom. Make sure nothing's leaking."

Jess nodded and started off toward the kitchen. She stopped by the table behind the couch and bent down to sweep up the broken douchebag jar. Fortunately, it had just been emptied, so there was no money embedded with shards of glass, only the jar itself. She heard Nick calling from down the hallway. She laid the dustpan on the floor under the bookshelf and ran down the hallway. As she got closer to the bathroom, she heard a hissing sound. When she opened the door, she stifled a laugh as a stream of water was spraying into the air from under the sink by the wall.

Nick was sliding towards the sink, diving underneath to shut off the valve. Jess pulled all the towels off the hooks to her left and walked toward Nick as he sat in a puddle on the floor. Just as she reached him, she slipped and fell right in his lap, Nick stopping her before her head hit the sink. They sat in a heap on the wet tile floor and started laughing.

Jess wrapped one of the towels in her hand around the back of his shoulders and rubbed his hair dry. "What a morning..."

Nick wrapped his arms around Jess' waist and pulled her tight. Jess stopped laughing and rubbed his back. She felt him sigh deeply against her shoulder and tighten his grip. "Nick. Are you ok?"

His voice was cracked. "Yeah."

"Nick..." She pulled away and looked into his eyes. All he could do was shake his head.

"Jess, I... I just keep picturing everything in that cabinet falling on you. I'm sorry, I'm being stupid. Everything's fine." She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned her forehead against his.

"Honestly, I don't want to worry about the mess. I... Can we just sit here for a minute, or go lay down or something?" She whispered softly.

Nick nodded and they started to stand up. Jess haphazardly threw all the towels around to soak up the water. They took a minute to slide the towels around with their feet to clean up as much as they could, before Nick grabbed Jess' hand. "Let's go relax for a minute." They started to walk down the hallway. "Is your phone still out there, we should at least keep it with us."

She pointed to the entryway. "It's still on the table."

Nick ran to quickly grab the phone and met her at the doorway to her room. They stepped inside. There were a few things on the floor, including a broken lamp on the other side of the bed. Nick laid down, pulling Jess next to him. She slid in tight to his body, both of them on their sides facing each other. Jess let out a large sigh before she felt tears well up in her eyes and start to fall. She burrowed her head into his chest and held tightly to his hands.

"I'm so glad we were here together." Jess whispered.

"Me too." His voice cracked as he thought about how crazy he would be right now, if he couldn't reach Jess to know that she was okay. At that moment he realized how deeply he was falling for the woman cuddled next to him.

* * *

Several minutes later, there was another aftershock, and their bodies tensed. They both held their breath, wondering if they should move. Jess' eyes locked on his as the shaking stopped once again.

Jess' voice was shaky and hoarse. "God, I hope Schmidt and Winston are okay."

Nick reached over Jess to where he had thrown the phone up on the pillow. "No signal and WiFi is out." Jess reached out and grabbed his neck, pulling him close and kissing him softly.

"Nick...I..." She was interrupted by a knock and a voice calling from outside the apartment.

They paused and Nick began to sit up, "I'm going to get that, I'll be right back." He kissed her forehead and she sat up with him, wiping her hands across her face. Nick reached out and softly wiped a tear off her cheek, then scooted across the bed to answer the front door.

There was a second knock and Nick could hear Remy calling, "Is everyone alright in there?"

Nick quickly ran to the door, and opened it. "Hey Remy. Jess and I are fine."

Remy nodded and then took a peak inside. "The other two?"

Nick shook his head, "We can't reach them, our cell phone is out."

Remy shook his head. "It's hit or miss. Any serious damage?"

Nick opened the door and motioned toward the bathroom. "Pipe broke under the sink, but I turned off the water. Haven't checked much else, but we know the stove is off."

Remy walked passed Jess' room and nodded to her as she stood in the doorway. He continued down the hallway toward the bathroom, followed by both Nick and Jess. He stepped over the towels and checked the sink. "Well, thanks for turning off the valve. Keep it off until I can get back up here. I just shut off gas and water to the entire building until they come out to check the main lines. Electricity could come back on at any time. I'm doing my best." He got up and gave them both a quick smile and then looked at the floor.

Jess smiled. "It's ok Remy, we know it's not your fault."

Nick just nodded as Remy glanced back and forth between them and then made his way back out of the apartment. He waved to them as he closed the door, "come get me if you need me".

Nick and Jess stood in the hallway between their bedrooms, arms crossed surveying the living area once again. A few things were laying on the floor that had fallen of the bookshelves, but nothing that needed immediate attention. Jess sighed, "guess we should start cleaning...". She started to move when Nick grabbed her arm, spun her around and kissed her. It was gentle at first, but intensified as the emotion of the morning boiled over. Jess grabbed his shirt and pulled him close as one of his hands tangled tightly in her hair, the other pulling her waist against him. It was as if nothing they did could bring the other close enough to them. They pulled at each other frantically, as if being close would somehow erase the fear and relief that they were both feeling at this moment. Jess aggressively kissed him and pushed him backwards, his back slamming into the wall next to his door. She threw her weight into him, surprising him.

"Jess..." he mumbled, both shocked by the unexpected force of her kisses.

"Nick...I need you to..." She continued to push against him, her hands under his shirt, rubbing his chest. "I want...right now." She was out of breath. She needed to feel him, be close to him and have him never let her go. She was shaken, physically and emotionally by what they had experienced. Something inside her head was causing her to panic, flashing images of what could have happened if they hadn't been there together today. What if it was HIM she couldn't get in touch with? What if something had happened to him and she had never gotten the chance to tell him how she felt?

She pulled back suddenly and opened her eyes, leaning into his chest and putting a hand on his cheek. "Nick," her voice was hoarse and her eyes filling with tears. "I...I don't want to lose you. Please don't..." Her voice trailed off.

Nick searched her eyes. His voice was raw and full of emotion,"I'm not going anywhere. I promise." She collapsed against him and he held her tight, tears beginning to form in his own eyes as she wrapped her arms around his waist.


	12. Happy Birthday, Jess

Jess' eyes fluttered open as the sun came across her face. She moaned, bringing her left arm across her forehead, shielding her eyes. "Niiiiiick..." She moaned as she ran her right arm along the sheet to reach out for Nick, but he wasn't there. She slowly sat up, eyes adjusting to the brightness of the room and she looked at the clock. 7:38 am. _Nick never gets up this early. _She fell back on the pillow and closed her eyes, still tired. She felt herself start to doze off when she heard the doorknob unlatch. By the time she had rubbed her eyes and reached for her glasses, she felt someone gently sitting on the bed by her legs.

"Happy Birthday, Jess."

She giggled, smoothly down her hair and placing her glasses on her nose. In her half awake state she had, in fact, forgotten that today was her 32nd birthday. Nick leaned over and placed his left hand by her hip and gave her a kiss. "Hey you, I thought you'd sleep in later than this."

"Yeah well, I noticed someone missing." She casually gestured to his side of the bed. "What are you doing up this early? You never get up this early on a Saturday."

His eyes twinkled. "I might have made you breakfast." He turned his head and nodded toward her desk, where he had quickly laid her tray as he walked into the room.

Jess smiled. "That's so sweet, Nick." She tilted her head to see around him, squeezing one eye shut and then looking back at Nick.

He laughed as he said, "No eggs. Promise."

She returned the laugh, giving him chest a slap before scrunching his white t shirt in her hands and pulling him close. She touched her nose to his and whispered, "Best surprise EVER."

He gave her a quick kiss. "Hungry?"

She shrugged her shoulders up and down several times and rubbed her hands together excitedly. "Show me whatcha got Miller!"

He jumped off the bed and grabbed the tray from her desk, careful not to spill her cup of tea. He still hadn't quite mastered breakfast food, but he was pretty proud that he at least opted AGAINST the runny eggs this time around. It wasn't exactly Belgian waffles, but he had piled two Eggo waffles high with strawberries and whipped cream.

She grabbed her fork. "Nick this looks so good." She flashed him one of her smiles. "You didn't have to do this..." Nick just winked as she cut a huge bite for herself and put it in her mouth, a blob of whipped cream falling onto the plate. She started to giggle and then her face froze. She awkwardly dropped her fork as the bite fell back on the plate, her hands coming up to her mouth. Nick's face fell into a frown as she started to laugh. She reached up and pulled a large green stem from her mouth.

Nick cringed and shook his head. "Sorry. Guess I should have cut off the green stuff, right?"

She stuck her finger in a dollop of whipped cream and put it on his nose. "You're such a clown." They both started laughing as she took her napkin and wiped her mouth. He grabbed a napkin and wiped his nose, playfully throwing it back on her tray.

He tried to speak through his laughter. "I just can't get this whole cooking thing right."

"I don't care, I love it." They both stopped laughing as a wave of awkwardness came over them, slowly breaking into nervous smiles. Nick leaned back as she grabbed her fork to continue eating. She took a few bites and then put down her fork. She picked up a strawberry and with fingers covered in whipped cream, pulled off a stem and held it up in front of Nick's face. He smiled and opened his mouth. They both sat in silence as they chewed. Jess took another bite of waffle and then wiped her hands again with the napkin. She said softly, "Nick this was all very sweet. Wanna share?" He nodded and she handed him the second fork on the tray. Nick took a few bites and by the time they were finished, all that was left was a layer of whipped cream still on the plate. Jess grabbed the mug and sipped her tea, smiling at Nick.

"Oh hey, I have something for you!" He jumped off the bed and walked to the desk, grabbing an envelope. He returned to bed and sat down, handing it to Jess, as he pulled the tray off her lap and set it to the side on the bed. "Happy Birthday."

She turned to place her tea cup on the nightstand and took the envelope in her hand. Excitedly she started to open it until Nick suddenly reached out and stopped her. "Wait. Before you open it..." She stared at him as he swallowed nervously. "I know I should have gotten you an actual _present, _but...well, I walked around a jewelry store for almost 2 hours and nothing seemed like it was YOU. I..." Jess reached out and squeezed his arm.

"Hey, stop Nick." Her eyes softened and her voice was quiet. "Just let me open it, you don't have to explain anything."

He took a deep breath and mustered a weak, but nervous smile in return. "Sorry."

She tilted her head to the side and continued to open the envelope. Inside were two slips of paper. The first was a piece of folded yellow notebook paper from Nick:

_Jess, _

_Happy 32nd Birthday. I wanted to pick out something special for you, but nothing seemed to be as amazing as you are. I hope you enjoy taking this class._

_Nick_

Jess paused for a moment at the last line of the note where Nick had written his name. He had started to write something before signing it, but had scribbled over it and it was now a tiny blob of black ink. She clutched the note to her chest, feeling her eyes become watery. She pulled the second piece of paper out of the envelope, a small gasp escaping her lips. It was a thick piece of beautiful parchment paper explaining that she was enrolled in a jewelry making class at a local handmade jewelry store. A few weeks ago, she had actually grabbed the flyer advertising the class, but a few days later it had disappeared off her desk and she had forgotten about it.

Jess bit her lip and frantically blinked her eyes, Nick nervously wondering if he had made the wrong choice. "Nick, this is the sweetest present. How did you know I wanted to take this class?" He just smiled and shrugged his shoulders. She slowly peeled back the covers over her lap, sitting up on her knees, and throwing her arms around his neck. She squeezed hard and whispered in a choked voice in his ear, "Nick, I love y..."

"Well, HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESS!" Schmidt burst through the door with a large, perfectly wrapped box under his arm. Jess pulled back startled, as she knelt next to Nick on the bed, her left hand still clutching the envelope. Nick sighed in frustration and brought Jess' right hand into his lap, just shaking his head. _How did Schmidt ALWAYS manage to interrupt them?_

Winston followed directly behind Schmidt with another loud. "Happy Birthday, Jess!"

Jess smiled sweetly. "Aw, thanks you guys!"

Schmidt handed Jess the box as she swung her legs over the side of the bed, carefully leaning over to place Nick's present on her nightstand. Schmidt shifted back and forth, looking around them on the bed. "Well, I guess it seems I've beaten Nicholas with my present!"

Jess just rolled her eyes and started to untie the gigantic pink bow on the white cube box. Removing the plain white paper, Jess saw a box saying "Williams-Sonoma". "SCHMIDT!"

Schmidt nodded proudly. "Only the very best for my roommate." He crossed his arms in front of his chest as Winston rolled his eyes.

"Jess, just so you know, I have NO idea what is inside of that thing. So," Winston scrunched his face. "if you are offended in ANY way, HE did it." He pointed to Schmidt as he continued to grin.

Nick just watched nervously as Jess opened what was clearly a very expensive gift. Jess removed the lid and a huge wad of pink tissue paper and lifted out a heavy vase. A little confused, she looked up at Schmidt with a questioning look on her face. "Schmidt, is this for me or YOU?"

Schmidt feigned annoyance. "Please. Now, I'd love to think you could use it for all the flowers this guy," he pointed at Nick, who just glared back. "will be giving you. BUT, let's face it, that probably won't be happening." Jess frowned as Nick clenched his fists.

"Schmidt..."

Ignoring Nick's glare, he continued, "Jessica, seeing as you are now a woman in your mid-thirties..."

Jess took offense. "I'm 32, but ok..."

"...and you've settled into this...UNION." He gestured between Nick and Jess, "I thought it only fitting that we make our loft a little more classy and have an official PDA jar, or leaded crystal hand etched vase, if you will"

"Yeah, I am DEFINITELY removing my name from that card..." muttered Winston.

Nick's was clearly annoyed. "Schmidt, you bought us a VASE?"

"Yes, Nicholas. The crystal should be able to withstand all the heavy change, since that's all you two will probably have on you."

Jess grimaced and turned the vase over in her hand. "Schmidt, you really ordered an ETCHED vase for us to put money into every time we show any kind of affection?!" She paused as Schmidt proudly nodded. "What is wrong with you, man?"

A huge smile came across Nick's face as he looked at Jess and nodded. "Yeah, she's right. This is just crazy."

Jess nudged her elbow into Nick's side and winked, lowering her voice. "I better start saving my quarters, because this jar is gonna be full by lunch."

Nick gave Schmidt a smirk before wrapping his arms around Jess' waist, turning her towards him and giving her a passionate kiss.

Winston just shook his head as Schmidt grimaced with a loud. "Um, yuuuuuuck."

Jess let out a small, surprised giggle as her eyes fluttered open, desperately gripping the vase as her body weakened with the unexpected kiss. Her breathing was labored as Nick pulled away and gave her wink. She blinked furiously and shuddered slightly. "Ok, then, that's going to just FILL the jar right there."

Schmidt grimaced again as Winston stepped forward to pat Jess on the knee. "Happy Birthday, we'll leave you alone now." He looked at Schmidt, "won't we Schmidt."

Schmidt waved his hand in annoyance. "yeah, yeah, whatever. Just remember, that wasn't cheap, so find a good spot for it before you two start pawing at each other."

Jess rolled her eyes as Nick stood up to follow them out, slamming the door behind them. Jess stood up to put the vase on her desk, just shaking her head. "Leave it to Schmidt to spend good money on the STUPIDEST present ever."

Nick reached out and grabbed her around the waist. "Want to do something REALLY worthy of a drop in the crystal?" He wiggled his eyebrows as she slid her hands up around his neck."

"OH, and what did you have in mind?" She kissed him softly.

He started to walk her toward the bed. "You tell me, you're the birthday girl."

She smiled as her hands trailed down his chest and tugged at the bottom of his shirt. "What about something a little more...naked?"

He laughed as he reached over his head and pulled his shirt off. She raised her eyebrows. "hmmm, I think I like getting older."

"My mid thirties lady." he teased.

Jess stopped and her eyes got wide, as she slapped his chest jokingly."Yeah, what the hell was that? Pssssh, mid thirties my ass!" She started laughing as she sat down on the bed, tugging at Nick's arms. Nick gasped and grabbed her shoulders, but it was too late. Before he could stop her, she had leaned backwards, her hair falling into the plate of leftover whipped cream. They burst out laughing as Jess grabbed her head and Nick lunged for a napkin and started wiping her hair.

Jess pulled her hands away from her head, whipped cream all over. "Clearly, I didn't get more graceful with age!"

Nick kissed her through his laughter. "I think this is by FAR my most successful attempt at breakfast in bed."

Jess' eyes caught Nick's and she paused with a devious look in her eye. Before he could get away, she grabbed either side of his face with her whipped cream covered hands and gave him a huge kiss.

"JESS!" He tried to pull her hands away, but she just shook her head laughing.

"No way Miller, it's only fair!" Their laughter died down as they kissed, not caring that they were covered in whipped cream. Jess let out a small moan, leaning her head back, her hands still holding Nick's face. Her eyes bright eyes fluttered as she whispered softly. "Thank you for my present, it's perfect." She blinked back tears as he smiled.

"Happy Birthday, Jess."

"Thirty-two is going to be amazing."


	13. A strong couple

Nick was slouched in the middle of the couch across from the tv, staring blankly at the screen holding the remote in his left hand. He had just gotten home early from the bar and was still wearing jeans and a black t shirt. Jess walked into the room already dressed in her pink and white striped pajamas pants and a pink tank top. She had her glasses on, and her hair was pulled back into a messy bun. "Hey you" She flopped down next to him, leaning into his left side and swinging her legs over his knees. He lifted his arm over her head to wrap it around her shoulders and she put her head on his shoulder. Reaching across to grab the remote she cheerfully asked, "What're we watchin'?

Nick yanked his right hand back before she could get the remote. "Uh uh, I'm watching Sports Center."

She crossed her arms. "Oh come on. Grease is on!"

Nick grimaced. "You mean the movie that we've watched like a HUNDRED times AND you own on DVD?!"

She lifted her head. "You KNOW it's different when it's on tv."

"oh really, how?"

"I don't know. It's just better when I know that there are millions of people out there watching it the same time as I am."

"Really, Jess? MILLIONS?"

"Ok, well maybe not THAT many..." She smiled at him and kissed his cheek. Turning toward him she playfully stroked the ribbed collar of his t-shirt. "Please?"

He shook his head in defeat, handing her the remote while rolling his eyes. "Fine."

She let out a squeal, changing the channel as she sat up. He pulled his arm from around her and leaned on his knees, standing up. "I'm getting a beer, want anything?"

She just shook her head as she started to hum along with the tv. Nick disappeared into the kitchen to grab what he wanted and headed back toward the couch. Just as he was passing by the table behind her, Jess yelled "Hey do we have any..."

"Here" Nick bent over top of her from behind the couch and placed a pint of strawberry ice cream and a spoon in her hand. She gasped and whipped her head around, her eyes following him as he rounded the couch and sat back down. "Niiiick."

He sat back down next to her and smiled as he opened his beer. She giggled, crossing her legs in front of her and tossing the lid on the coffee table. She put a spoonful in her mouth and gently leaned over to bump her shoulder into his. With her mouth full of ice cream she said, "I owe ya, Miller."

He gave her a sideways glance and took a sip of his beer, leaning his head back and gargling slowly. She choked a little on her ice cream and swallowed hard, letting out a small cough. "Not fair."

He laughed as he unsuccessfully tried to swallow the full mouthful of beer, resulting in some of it trickling out the sides of his mouth. Jess immediately started laughing as she turned sideways a little and reached up to wipe her hand across his mouth, grabbing his shirt and pulling him to her for a kiss. She smiled and leaned her shoulder into the couch, "You play pretty dirty, you know that?"

He wiggled his eyebrows, leaning back and throwing his left arm on the top of the couch above her. "You know it."

Jess just shook her head and went back to eating her ice cream, periodically glancing up at the tv and humming along to the movie. Nick slowly sipped his beer, keeping his focus on her the entire time. _Why do I find this so incredibly adorable? _A few spoonfuls later, she glanced back up at him and smiled. His hand slid down onto the back of her neck and he made soft grasping motions with his fingers along the lose strands of hair sticking out of her bun. He leaned over and gave her a soft kiss. A quiet moan escaped her lips as he pulled away and her eyes fluttered open slowly. "I'm glad you came home early tonight."

He smiled and relaxed back into the couch. "Me too."

After two more bites of ice cream, Jess leaned forward to put the half empty carton on the coffee table. She crossed her arms in front of her and shivered. "I'm freezing." She started to stand up. "I'll be right back."

Jess half walked, half galloped to her room and stopped at the doorway. She shrugged her shoulders and smiled, turning into Nick's room instead. Once inside, she glanced around his room looking for one of his hoodies. She frowned not seeing one and walked over to his closet. Reaching up, she started to gently move hangers back and forth seeing if she could find one hanging in there. When she reached further back into the closet, she finally found her favorite one. She smiled to herself when she thought back to wearing it over her "invisible" shirt when she tried to convince Nick to give her the apartment's only parking space. She reached up to pull it out, but it slid backwards off the hanger and onto the floor.

"Crap."

She squatted down, squinting her eyes trying to adjust to the dark shadows of the closet. She moved her hands around until she felt the soft fabric and gave it a tug. As she pulled it out from the tangled mess of clothes and shoes on his closet floor, it caught on something and she heard a soft crinkling noise. When she reached back to unhook the hood from the object, she realized what it was.

She let out a small gasp and a huge smile came across her face.

* * *

"Hey, Jess, you ok?" Nick called to her just as she came out of the hallway into the living room. He smiled when he saw her wearing "that" hoodie and his mind immediately wandered to the thought of whether she was invisible or not underneath it. He scrunched up his eyes when he noticed she had something in her hands behind her back. He leaned forward and motioned towards her with his bottle of beer. "Find something?"

She was trying hard not to move in order to keep what was behind her back hidden. "Nicholas Miller, you really ARE a crazy, romantic clown!"

His eyes narrowed as he put his bottle on the table. "What are you talking about?" She pulled her arms around from behind her back as his eyes widened in horror.

_DAMN IT._

She tilted her head to the side, and a soft squeal escaped her lips. "I can't believe you kept this!"

Nick put his beer down and jumped up off the couch, grabbing the back of his neck nervously. "Jess, I...it's not really...well..."

She walked towards him and set it down on the floor next to the edge of the couch. As she stood up, she reached out for his hand. Her eyes sparkled as she bit her lip, looking down toward the floor and back up to him.

"Jess, it's been in there for what, almost a year?"

She tugged at his hand. "Come on, Nick, you kept it for a reason, didn't you?"

He shrugged his shoulders nervously, a tinge of embarrassment coming over his cheeks. "I just forgot to throw it away..." She stared at him, and he knew there was no way she would possibly buy that story. He sighed and let out a little laugh, slowly raising his foot. "This is ridiculous, you know that, right?"

She shrugged, still smiling. "Maybe."

He took both her hands and squeezed, slowly stepping up onto to the "table" they had made out of newspaper and masking tape at Cece's Indian Wedding Convention. He started to lose his balance, but she quickly pulled his arms out to the side and he regained his footing. He spread his feet to the furthest edges and looked down at her. "Ok, Day. Get up here."

She let out a tiny squeal and gingerly stepped up into the center, her feet inside his. She let out a small gasp as she started to fall backwards. They both started laughing as he jerked her arms up and she steadied herself. Their laughter gradually stopped as Jess let go of his hands and clutched the front of his shirt in her hands. He slowly rested his hands on her waist. She looked up at him. "Nick, why did you save this?"

He shrugged helplessly, speaking softly. "I don't really know."

She couldn't help but laugh. She let go with her right hand and started to twirl her index finger in front of his face. "Niiiiiick..." She was smiling even wider now and her eyes were teasing him.

Nick smirked and just shook his head. He tried to grab her swirling finger, but she snapped it backwards out of his reach. While throwing her arm she lost her balance, rocking the table, causing her feet to lose their footing. "Ooof, JESS!" When her fingers wrapped around his sleeves to catch herself from falling, she pulled Nick off balance and they both tumbled against the couch and onto the floor.

Laughing loudly and trying to catch their breath they sat up facing each other on the floor. Jess poked Nick in the chest. "It's only a strong table if you can stay on it!"

"Oh, like I had a chance with you pulling me over!"

She playfully slapped him across the chest, still laughing. "Shut up, Miller." She continued laughing as his face slowly fell serious and he swallowed hard. His heart pounded in his ears and he felt a bead of sweat forming on his forehead. He felt himself gasping for air, his voice deep and unsteady. The words came out in one breathless sigh.

"Jess, I love you."

As the words left his lips, the room grew still as she stopped laughing. Her smile quickly transformed into a stunned expression. With eyes wide, she stared directly into his, blinking quickly. When she opened her mouth, her voice caught in her throat, "what did you say?"

Nick took a deep breath and looked down at the floor. He closed his eyes for a brief moment and then his eyes locked on hers. This time when he spoke the words he had wanted to say for so long, his voice was louder and more confident.

"I love you."

Her chest rose sharply as she took a deep breath, her eyes filling with tears. She slowly reached out to wrap her arms around his neck as he pulled her into his lap. "Nick, I love you too." She felt a tear fall down her cheek as his arms tightened around her waist. He slowly leaned forward, his chin pressing into her shoulder. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Hearing those words from Jess suddenly erased all the doubts he had been having. That small voice in his head that had been telling him it was way too soon to feel this strongly about her, vanishing.

He slowly pulled back and placed a hand on either side of her face. "I've wanted to tell you that for a long time."

"Really?" Her voice surprised and full of emotion.

He smiled. "Yeah."

"Me too." She whispered softly, as she put her hands on his chest and leaned forward to kiss him. He melted into her and their kiss deepened, her hands clutching onto his shirt and his tugging at her waist.

She broke the kiss and leaned back, her eyes sparkling as a small laugh escaped her lips. "Let's go to bed, Miller."

He kissed her again, then smiled. "You got it, Day."

As they stood up, Jess grabbed his hand and squeezed, repeating the words with a huge smile on her face "I love you."

He kissed her cheek before they walked to the hallway and headed to bed.

He was never going to get tired of hearing those words.


	14. Small gestures

**I want to take a moment to thank everyone for reading this story, as well as the others I have going right now. These characters are amazing and so easy to write. Thank you for all the comments/messages/reviews, they make churning out these chapters so much more enjoyable! Don't worry, I'm still working on "A Winter Wedding", I know several readers have messaged me asking about it. The ending has been finished for awhile, but I want to add a few more chapters in the middle. So, no worries. ;-) I also plan on keeping up these one-shots throughout the hiatus. As I finish some of the ones I have going, I have a really amazing story line that I've imagined to be the ending to Season 3, so...stay tuned. ;-)**

* * *

Nick walked into the loft and straight to his room, throwing his keys down on his desk after a long night at work. Jess had gone out to a club with Cece and a few of the models, and the guys were both gone for the night. He sat down on the bed to take off his shoes and pulled out his phone.

_hey beautiful. having fun?_

_not really_

_I'm sorry. Where's Cece?_

_dancing with some random guy_

_want me to come get you?_

_No._

_you sure?_

_I'm fine. still at work?_

_just got home_

_tired?_

_a little_

_in bed already?_

_I'll be there in 20 minutes_

* * *

When Nick got into the club, he found Jess at a booth by the back wall. She was swirling her straw in her drink and staring straight ahead in a daze. She hadn't seen him walk over. He slid in next to her, a bright smile coming across her face.

"Hey, you came!"

"Of course I did. Where's Cece? I want to smack her."

"Nick, she's just having fun." She gestured towards Cece, who was on the dance floor with a tall, dark haired guy.

Nick rested his arm on the table, grabbing her hand. "I thought it was a girls night."

Jess leaned her head on his shoulder and sighed, still playing with her straw with her left hand. "Yeah, I know. Nadia disappeared before we even got the table."

"Are you ready to leave?" He kissed the top of her head.

Lifting her head, she let out a loud sigh. "Yeah, I guess." She stared into the crowd for a moment, subconsciously moving her head and shoulders to the music.

Nick smiled and bumped her shoulder with his. "Wanna dance?"

She let out a little laugh. "Nick Miller doesn't dance."

"That was before you, come on." He started to slide out of the booth and pulled her towards him. Her eyes lit up as she jumped off the seat to follow him out to the dance floor. He threw his arm up in the air and she spun underneath it before falling into his chest laughing. He grabbed her hips and pulled her close, her arms snaking up and around his neck.

"This is really nice Nick. Thanks for dancing with me."

He gave her a quick kiss. "No problem."

"I love you."

His eyes sparkled. "I know."

She made a funny face and deepened her voice, "a LOT."

"I love you too, Jess." She squinted her eyes at him and pursed her lips, as he rolled his eyes. He scrunched up his face, "ok, a LOT."

She tilted her head to the side and her voice got quiet. "You're a really amazing boyfriend."

"I don't know if I'd go that far," He made a face and laughed. "I think you've had too much to drink."

She pulled her head back and frowned. "No one's ever told you that before?"

His fingers tightened on her hips. "Not exactly."

She put a hand on either side of his face and pulled him down for a kiss. Looking into his eyes, she smiled and shrugged her shoulders, "Their loss."


	15. Always here

It was 4:30 am when Jess rolled over and looked at her clock. She sat up, rubbing her eyes as she looked to her right and noticed Nick's side of the bed empty. She frowned, wondering why he had yet to return from his shift at the bar. The latest he usually came home was around 3, so she started to panic. She put her glasses on, grabbed her phone off the nightstand and frantically scrolled through messages. Before she could focus on anything, she heard shuffling and the jingling of keys at the front door. Sighing with relief, she jumped out of bed running out of her room.

"NI..." She stopped short and gasped. Her eyes hadn't adjusted to the contrast of bright light coming from the hallway, and for a second she didn't recognize the figure in the doorway. She was ready to let out a scream, when she realized it was Bob from the bar. "BOB, what..." Bob just shook his head, taking a step inside the loft, Nick leaning against him.

Jess stepped forward, grabbing a very drunk Nick's waist. "What happened?"

"Jesssicccccccaaaa." He threw his right arm in the air and it fell heavily across her shoulders, causing her to wince.

Jess spoke softly. "Shhh, Nick. Everyone's asleep." She looked up at Bob. "Let's get him to his bed." Bob taking most of his weight, walked Nick into his room. Nick flopped onto his bed on his back, his legs still hanging over the side.

When Jess looked up at Bob, he gestured with his head toward the door. Jess gave Nick's leg a rub, frowning down at him as she stood up and followed Bob to the doorway.

"He had rough night. Started drinking at the end of our shift. He wouldn't stop talking about his dad." Jess looked confused for moment and shook her head. She thought back to when Walt died and mentally did a calculation in her head. _  
_

"Oh." She frowned again when she realized what was going on. _How did she not remember this morning? Why didn't she ask him if he was okay?_ She quickly glanced back at Nick before turning to Bob. "Six months. He died six months ago today."

Bob's eyes got wide and nodded. "Yeah. That makes sense now." He grabbed Jess' arm and spoke quietly. "Don't be too rough on him, ok? He said a lot of things tonight about the two of you too." He smiled and winked at Jess. "Just give him a break."

Jess sighed. "Yeah. I...I get it. But why didn't he just call me? I could have picked him up." Her voice was sad, with a hint of frustration. _Why didn't he trust her? Why wasn't he talking to HER about this stuff? Why did he always need to get drunk to open up about his feelings?_

Bob just shrugged. "Because it's Nick. He didn't want you to see him like this. He was scared."

Jess managed a weak smile. "Thanks for driving him home."

Bob gave her arm a pat and started to walk out into the hall. "No problem." Jess followed him to the front door. "Look, I can cover for him tomorrow night. Just," He gave Jess a knowing look. "take care of him okay. He's in bad shape."

Jess just nodded and closed the door. She walked quickly back to Nick's room and knelt down beside the bed. She spoke softly and brushed her hand across him sweaty forehead, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. "Hey Nick. How're you feeling?"

He rolled to his side and put his hand on her cheek. "I drank a lot."

Her left hand closed over his on her cheek. "I heard."

His eyes were sad, his words slurred. "Walt'ssssss dead."

She frowned and rubbed her hand along his jawline, whispering softly. "I know, I'm sorry." Her hand lingered on his cheek before bending down to take off his sneakers, throwing them into his closet to her left. She continued to speak to him in a soft voice, "hey, let's get you undressed, okay?" She stood up and leaned close to him, kissing his forehead.

He stared into her eyes. "I'm gonna be a good dad."

Jess froze feeling a knot form in her throat as she caught Nick's stare. "What, Nick?"

Nick slowly sat up, swaying slightly and grabbing Jess' forearms to steady himself. She knelt down, grabbing the edge of the bed as he leaned his weight onto her. "I'm gonna be, I prommmmmmise Jess. I won't be like...him." His left hand gestured into the air and he started to lean. "When we're married, I won't leave you alone. EVER"

Jess blinked back tears and started to stand up to grab him around the chest so he wouldn't fall over onto the floor. "Okay," she grunted a little under his weight. Nick suddenly wrapped his arms around her back and hugged her hard. She sat down on the bed next to him, doing her best to prop up his weight.

"Jess I'm in love with you."

Jess smiled and hugged him back, rubbing his back. "Nick, I know. I love you too"

"But I'm don'ts tell you enough."

"It's ok. I know you do" She felt his body sway again and he started to moan.

"I think I'm gonna be sssssick."

Jess pulled back and saw him contort his face. She gently laid him back down onto the pillow and rubbed his stomach. His face relaxed slightly. "Nick, do you really feel sick?"

He nodded weakly and grabbed her hand, tears forming in his eyes. "I'm so stuuuuuuupid, please don't leave me. I need you."

Jess swallowed hard, trying not to cry. She brushed his forehead softly with her hand, trailing her fingers down his cheek. "I'm not going anywhere. Can you lay here for a second? I will be RIGHT BACK. Can you do that?" He nodded and closed his eyes. She stood up, carefully swinging his feet up onto the bed. Before leaving the room, she grabbed the empty trashcan by his desk and put it next to him on the floor in front of the night stand. She reached out and gently laid her hand on his arm. "Nick, here's a trashcan if you get sick." He nodded with his eyes still closed. She turned on her heels and quickly headed to the kitchen, filling two large glasses full of water and grabbing the bottle of tylenol from the cabinet. When she returned to Nick's room, he was sitting up and holding his head. She put the glasses of water on the nightstand and turned around just in time to grab the trashcan and hold it for him, rubbing his back as he emptied the alcohol from his stomach.

A few minutes later, as he was feeling a little better, Jess put the trashcan down on the floor and handed him two pills. "Think you can take these for me?" He nodded as he opened his mouth. She held the glass to his lips, "drink". He finished the entire glass and flopped back on the pillow, his arms crossed over his face.

"I'm so sssstupid. You're going to leave me."

Jess shook her head and reached out to rub his chest. "Shhhh, try to go to sleep. I'll be right back." She took the trashcan into the shower to clean it out and brought it back to Nick's room. He looked as if he were trying to sleep, so she quietly put the trashcan back on the floor. She ran to her room to yank her comforter off her bed and wrapped it around her. She sat down on the floor in front of the nightstand and leaned her body against the bed, reaching up to hold his hand. She didn't want to try and move him, but she wanted to make sure she could get to him in time with the trashcan if he felt sick again.

"Jess honey?" Nick moaned from the bed.

She turned herself around and knelt next to him, leaning over his chest, "I'm right here. You okay?"

Tears started streaming down his face as he turned to look at her. "I really messed up. I'm sooooo sorry."

"Just go to sleep, alright? I'm staying right here." She kissed his forehead and laid her head on his shoulder, wrapping her left arm gently around his waist.

"I need you so much. Don't leave me."

Jess swallowed the lump in her throat and stood up. She gently nudged him toward the middle of the bed and sat next to him. She positioned the pillows behind her as he rolled his head into her lap, hugging her legs tightly. She did her best to throw her blanket over him, trying to make him comfortable. His body relaxed into her lap and his breathing slowed. She leaned back against the wall as she stroked her right hand methodically over his forehead and through his matted hair. "I love you Nick, I'm not going anywhere." She closed her eyes and slowly drifted to sleep.

* * *

A few hours later, Nick's eyes fluttered open. He was disoriented and didn't immediately know where he was. _Oh God, the bar. _He remembered drinking with Bob. But where was he right now? He heart sank when he felt a warm body underneath him. _Did Jess see him like this? _He blinked his eyes as his closet came into focus in front of him. He moaned as he felt the pounding in his head. As he raised his head, he saw Jess leaning against his pillows, her head hung to the side as she slept. He sighed with relief and scooted himself up onto the pillows next to her, wincing in pain, his entire body aching. _I'm such an idiot. _

As he became more aware of where he was he saw the trashcan by the bed and the glass of water on the nightstand. _Did he get sick last night?_ Jess started to stir and she slowly opened her eyes. Her head lifted off the pillow and she looked at Nick with a worried expression on her face.

"Hey, you feeling better?"

He swallowed hard, suddenly feeling a wave of regret wash over him. "Jess, how did I get home?'"

She readjusted herself onto her side to face him, one hand tucked under her head, the other onto his chest. "Bob."

His eyes nervously searched hers. "I'm so stupid."

She spoke softly, her eyes not leaving his. "You talked about Walt."

He swallowed and closed his eyes. Now he remembered everything. He scrunched his eyes and then opened them slowly. "Why do I miss him, Jess?"

"He was your dad, Nick. Why wouldn't you?"

His voice was suddenly angry, his voice gruff through gritted teeth. "He was never around when I needed him."

She reached up to brush her hand over his forehead. "You still loved him. He loved you too."

Nick's eyes softened when he saw Jess smiling at him. "I did exactly what he always did to my mom."

Jess looked at him confused. "What do you mean?"

He sighed and closed his eyes, unable to look at her. "I went off to drink and didn't come home." His eyes opened, Jess looking at him intently. "I don't want to be my dad, Jess."

"I know that Nick. You're not." Her voice was firm, yet caring.

He stared into her eyes, moments passing before he spoke softly again. "I'm scared I'm going to mess up."

Jess bit her lip. "You can talk to me, you know." She took a deep breath, her voice a whisper. "You know I love you."

He couldn't help but notice the pain in her voice. It killed him that he had done something so ridiculous. He was really trying to be better than this. Why did he drink like that last night? "Did I say something to hurt you last night?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Why are you asking that?"

Nick swallowed hard. "I just. You don't deserve...maybe I."

"Nick..." She grabbed his cheek. "Stop. You made a mistake. Just..." Nick looked her directly in the eye, holding his breath. "Can you make me one promise?"

"Anything"

She took a deep breath. "Please tell me things. I want to know what you're feeling. Even if you think it will hurt me to hear it, okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

Nick saw a sadness in her eyes, and he was overwhelmed with the feeling that he had let her down. "You're mad at me."

Her eyes shot back to his. "No Nick, I'm not."

"Positive?"

"I just want you to trust me. Do you trust me, Nick?"

Nick's eyes were wide and he laid his hand on her cheek. "You know I do." He paused and his face fell. "Or maybe you don't..."

"I guess I do, I just..." She sighed and closed her eyes. It took her a moment to open them again, and she whispered, "some things you'll only say to me when you're drunk."

All Nick could do was stare at her sadly. He knew she was right. Despite the fact that he had been very drunk the night before, he DID remember what he had said to her. It was just easier to pretend he didn't remember. That maybe she would "forget" and just assume it was an incoherent and drunk rambling from a one Nick Miller. But at this moment, he also realized how much she was hurting. Hurting because of HIM. Hurting from actions just like the ones from the man who he was determined not to become. Nick sat up on his left elbow and gently wrapped his right hand around the back of her neck, running his thumb softly along her cheek.

"Jess, someday when we're married and have a family," He stopped as a small gasp left her mouth, a smile forming across his lips. "Yes, I think about it. A lot." She smiled back and he felt her relax into the pillow. His face quickly became serious again. "I'm NOT going to be like him. I'm not." He swallowed and shook his head sadly. "I'm really trying. I just...I screwed up."

Jess grabbed his face in her hands and gave him a quick kiss. "I know you're trying and I love you for it." He smiled and pressed another, longer kiss to her lips.

"I really love you, Jess."

"Can you just let me HELP you?" She smiled, her face relaxing. She let out a little giggle, giving his cheek a playful swat. "You don't have to be perfect, Nick, but you DO have to let me be a part of your life. ALL of it, not just the parts you feel like sharing. That's what I want."

"I know." He sighed and smiled. "I'm trying."

"Good." She dropped her hands and scooted her body toward him, snuggling into his chest.

He closed his eyes and buried his face in her hair. "Jess?"

"Hmmm?"

"Thanks for taking care of me, even though I don't deserve it."

"Always, Miller. No matter how stupid it gets"


	16. Being honest

Jess was reading a magazine while leaning back into the corner of the couch, her legs stretched out in front of her. Schmidt came walking towards her from the hallway and sat down at her feet. He glanced around and then back at her. "Where's Nick?"

Without looking up from what she was reading, she replied. "He's still asleep."

Schmidt rolled his eyes and in a sarcastic tone, said. "Your room or his?"

Jess slapped the magazine shut in her lap and glared up at him. "Really Schmidt? You want to _still_ give us a hard time about this?"

He shook his head and motioned his hand in the air. "Fine. I get it." He contorted his face childishly. "you two are in loooooove."

She pushed her glasses up her nose and threw the magazine onto the coffee table, wrapping her arms around her knees as she brought them to her chest. "Alright, what's going on?"

"I have no idea what you mean."

"I _mean_, I know you're not thrilled with what we've got going on here, but what gives?" She raised her eyebrows and waited for his response.

Schmidt sighed and turned to face her, throwing his right elbow up onto the back of the couch. "Can I ask you something?"

"No Schmidt, we haven't had sex on the couch again..."

He grimaced and continued, "No, I'm serious."

Her eyes softened and she spoke softly. "Okay, I'm sorry. What's up?"

He threw a quick glance behind him, then whispered. "Why Nick?"

She let out an exasperated sigh, "For crying out loud, you try to act all serious and you start the same crap..."

He held up his hand in surrender. "No, no. I swear, I'm not trying to be funny." His voice was sincere. "Why Nick?"

She narrowed her eyes, still skeptical. "Why _not_ Nick?"

He rolled his eyes. "Come on, Jess. He dropped out of Law School, he can't identify which clothes in his room are clean, and he works at a bar."

She was getting annoyed. "I think you're being pretty mean talking about your best friend that way, Schmidt."

He shook his head in a matter of fact way. "I'm just dealing in _facts_. Just, WHAT about him do you find even remotely attractive?"

She leaned back into the couch, her voice quiet. "Everything. He's a good guy, Schmidt. I know you know that," She glared at him and he just shrugged. "He's honest and sweet and he...he makes me feel like I really MEAN something to him. No one has ever made me feel like that before. It's nice." She felt herself blush and was suddenly self-conscious about being so open with Schmidt, of all people. Her eyes narrowed as he just stared at her, expressionless. "Why are you so interested in this?"

He took a deep breath, an inquisitive look on his face. "Does he ever make you feel like you need to try and live up to be some person that you can't be?"

Jess shook her head and pulled her head back in disgust. "NO... Wait." She bit her lip. "Do you think I make HIM feel that way?"

"Of course not" He shook his head, and shrugged. "I'm just curious."

Jess let out a little sigh of relief, but wondered what was making Schmidt seem so ..._human_ right now. "Did something happen between you and Elizabeth?" He shrugged his shoulders a little, but said nothing. "Schmidt..."

He rolled his eyes and then blurted out, "I just feel like she expects me to be my 'Big Guy' self sometimes..."

"Or all the time..." She pointed her finger in the air.

"And..." He stopped short. "Wait, what?"

"Schmidt, as much as I'm NOT complaining about how much _nicer_ you've been" She paused, gesturing her hands. "my relationship with Nick aside of course." He nodded in agreement. "I don't know, you have to admit, she seems to get pretty irritated with you anytime you _aren't_ being that guy."

He glared at her, intrigued. "Continue..."

She looked at him intently, and then spoke carefully. "Schmidt, I'm going to say something to you, and then you're going to pretend like we didn't have this conversation, got it?"

He leaned forward slightly. "I'm listening."

She took a deep breath. "She was your first real love and you were together for _four_ years. You have a history, a very long one. She was comfortable, and predictable. But you've changed since you were with her in college. Some good, some...yeah, not so good."

"I'll let that slide..." He glared at her.

"But you have to ask yourself if you feel like YOU when you're with her." Schmidt nodded slowly, taking her words to heart. "There are things about Nick that drive me absolutely crazy." She paused and raised her eyebrows. "REALLY crazy. There just are. But you know what? I could go in there at my very _worst_...and trust me, he's seen it all, ...and we would still be the same two people when we're together that we've always been. I'm not pretending anything with him. It's...honest." She smiled.

Schmidt was silent and slowly shook his head. It seemed like he was far off in another world and stood up wordlessly and wandered into his room, shutting the door behind him. Jess just stared after him with her eyes wide and a confused look on her face. She reached over for her magazine, muttering to herself "so weird".

The room fell silent as she flipped through the magazine until she found the page she had been reading, and nestled herself back into the cushion, her legs crossed under her. She was so engrossed in her article, that she didn't see Nick there until he was sitting down quietly in front of her, the cushion gently dipping underneath them.

She laid the magazine in her lap. "Oh, hey Nick. Did you sleep ok?" They locked eyes for a moment, before Nick wordlessly grabbed her face in both his hands and pressed one of the sweetest and softest kisses on her lips. She felt her heart race, pounding in her ears. _How did he always manage to do this to her? He could kiss better than ANYONE..._

She pulled back, her eyelids drooping lazily. Her voice was a raspy whisper. "Well, hello to you too, Miller."

His eyes were bright and he had a smile on his face. Still holding her head in his hands he pressed another quiet kiss against her lips. Jess suddenly blushed, embarrassed. She reached up and wrapped her small hands around his wrists. "Wait, um, did you hear me talking to Schmidt just now? How long have you been awake?"

He swallowed and had a sheepish grin. "I didn't mean to..."

Her eyes flew open. "Oh God, Nick. I probably sounded like a complete IDIOT." She tried to turn her head away, but he held head firmly, waiting for her to look directly into his eyes.

"Jessica..." Her eyes slowly met his and she nervously bit her lip. "I don't know how I got so lucky but," He kissed her again. "You amaze me."

She smiled, melting into his grasp. He finally let go of her cheeks, leaning towards her with a hand on either side of her legs. His eyes were just inches from hers.

"You know what I love more than anything, Nick?" She squinted her eyes and swept her fingers across his hairline, before gently tugging them through his hair.

A soft "Hmmm?" left his lips as he smiled, his eyes never leaving hers.

As her hands wrapped around his neck and her forehead pressed against his, she whispered. "The way you always call me, Jessica."


	17. The next step

**I have to say, I'm really, REALLY excited about this chapter. It's my favorite so far, and I hope everyone enjoys it! The more times I read it, the more I can't imagine something like this NOT happening on the show.**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

Nick had been sitting on the edge of Jess' bed waiting for her to change in her closet. She popped her head out, "Hey Nick, could you open my top drawer for a second? I'm trying to find my pink tank top."

He shrugged and walked over to the dresser, pulling open the top drawer. His face had a peculiar look on it as he turned around. "Jess, this drawer is completely empty."

She walked towards him and smiled. "I know. It's for you!"

"What?" He shook his head confused.

"Well, we sleep in here most of the time, so I thought you could have your own drawer, and ..." Her face fell as Nick's expression changed and she knew what was coming. He had "panic moonwalk" written all over his face.

"Why would I need a drawer in your dresser?"

"Well, I mean. I just thought that..." Her voice trailed off as he fixed his gaze toward the door and started to move his feet.

"Um, yeah, I'm just going to..." Nick walked quickly passed her, across the hall to his room, and shut the door.

Jess rolled her eyes and spun around on her heels. "Nick." She grunted under her breath, stomping across the door. She tried the handle, but it was locked. She knocked on the door. "Nick open up."

"Leave me alone."

"Nicholas Miller, you open this door!" She put her hand on the handle and leaned against the door.

"Don't tell me what to do."

"Then quit acting like a child and let me in." She heard rustling on the other side, and the lock clicked. She sighed with relief, as he opened door and leaned with his hand still on the knob.

"What are you doing, Jess?" He looked at her like she was crazy.

Her eyes narrowed and she stepped through the doorway as he let go of the door. She turned around at the end of the bed to face him. "What am _I _doing? I try to do something nice for you and you just lock yourself in here?!"

He sighed, taking a few steps in front of her. "We live in the same apartment already, I don't know why you're making a big deal about giving me a drawer."

She looked hurt, and she frowned. "Why are you so MAD about it?"

His expression changed and he scrunched his face. "Because you never want to sleep in here, and now you want my stuff over there too!" His hand gestured into his own room, then across the hall toward hers.

Her head snapped backwards, confused. "Wait, who said I never wanted to sleep in here?"

He threw up his arms. "You do. EVERY NIGHT. We always end up in your bed, with the pillows, and the fancy sheets, and the comforter." He made a face and moved his head emphatically from side to side.

Now he was making her really angry. "Oh, wow Nick. I'm impressed you even know it's CALLED a comforter." Her back was to the bed. She turned to make a quick, sweeping gesture toward the bed, and then back toward Nick. "You know, since you still use a SLEEPING BAG that's probably from your college dorm."

His eyes widened. "It's good for ALL KINDS OF WEATHER."

"What do I look like, a freakin' PIONEER?! And I didn't hear you complaining about 'all my pillows'," Jess frowned and made air quotes with her fingers. "last night when I ended up with ONE and you had allllll the rest of them." She crossed her hands and gestured a huge circle over her head. "Do you REALLY need to stick pillows in your crotch Nick, REALLY?!" She held out her hand and started poking the air.

He crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, ...maybe I wouldn't need so many pillows if you'd just stay still and cuddle with me."

A look of disgust crossed her face. "You KNOW when Schmidt turns down the air I get hot and sticky. And how am I supposed to know what I do IN MY SLEEP?!"

He grimaced. "Well if you're so damn HOT, why do you INSIST on having sheets AND a blanket on you AT ALL TIMES?! Who does that? If you're hot, just take the damn covers off."

"You know I don't like to be all out in the open like that." She gestured her hand out in front of her. "Covers help me sleep."

"Do you even know how ridiculous that sounds, Jessica?" He rolled his eyes.

"Well what about YOU." She pointed to him and then raised her hands, pushing her fingers together and beating them into the air for emphasis. "Your bed is balanced on CINDER BLOCKS right now. Square pieces of CONCRETE."

"Rectangles."

"WHAT?" She looked at him incredulously.

"Rectangles, Jess. The block are REC-TANG-GLES." He leaned forward and pumped his hands in the air.

She crossed her arms in front of her chest and narrowed her eyes. "Are you seriously giving me a GEOMETRY lesson, Nick Miller?"

"Well, if you're going to make fun of my bed, which you didn't seem to mind when I CARRIED you in here that first time." He raised his eyebrows. "you could at least be accurate."

"Well, it's just...FINE." She rolled her eyes. "If you wanted to sleep in here more, you could have just SAID SOMETHING, I didn't know." She threw her hands in the air again, slapping them against her sides.

He finally threw up his own hands and screamed in frustration. "WELL MAYBE I LIKE YOUR ROOM BECAUSE IT FEELS LIKE OURS TOGETHER NOW." Nick's eyes went wide as the room went silent. He stared at Jess as her head slowly tilted to the side, surprised. He stood in front of her frozen, his chest heaving and his heart pounding in his ears. He never meant for that to slip out quite like that.

She was breathing heavily and her voice caught in her throat, suddenly becoming more quiet. "But I thought..."

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, throwing his hands up in defeat, his shoulders slumping. "I like your room, Jess."

Her eyes softened and she stepped forward towards him, whispering. "I didn't know you were upset about where we sleep."

He shook his head, reaching out and nervously brushing his hand against her arm. "I'm not. It's just...This room feels, I don't know..._lonely_." He glanced around, looking almost sad.

She shook her head a little confused. "But I'm in here with you."

"Yeah, but it's not like...like a _home_." He glanced at her sheepishly, feeling a little ridiculous.

"You really feel that way over there?" She nodded toward her room and smiled.

He smiled back. "Maybe."

She shook her head. "Then why did you get so worked up about the drawer?"

He closed his eyes, then opened them again. "I don't know what to tell you, I'm an idiot."

"Do you want to sleep in here more? We can sleep in here more, you know." She asked decisively.

"It's not a big deal, Jess, I'm sorry." She could tell he was trying to get her to drop the entire conversation from sheer embarrassment.

She thought for a moment. "Well you know, I could help you make it more...um, _adult_ if you'd like."

He nodded and then shrugged his shoulders. "That might be nice..." He paused, averting his gaze to the floor. "Or..."

She squinted her eyes wondering where he was going with this. "Or what?"

He looked back up at her. "Maybe I could put a few things in yours." He raised his eye brows, a hopeful expression across his face.

Jess' mouth slowly formed a smile and her heart started to race. "Like what?," she asked curiously.

"Um, well...maybe my laptop and some of the stuff in my closet...or my nightstand?" He shrugged casually.

She reached out to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him closer. "You really want to move stuff into my room? Like _share_ my room with me?"

He tried to remain nonchalant about the whole thing. He wrapped his arms around her, gently stroking her back. "We don't have to. It's not like you have extra space..."

She tried hard not to smile too widely. "Well, maybe I could move some of my winter stuff into your closet over here to make more room..."

"And I could build you a bigger bookshelf to fit all our books..." He tilted his head to the side, grinning just a little bit more.

"That might work..." She nodded slowly, then shrugged her shoulders. "If you didn't mind."

"I don't mind, Jess." He seemed more eager now.

"Then maybe we should do it." It was more of a statement than a question.

"If that's what you want." His voice was soft, almost nervous.

"You're the one who has to move their stuff." She squinted her eyes and pursed her lips.

"But you have to make room for me." He studied her face carefully.

"Nick." Her chin bounced solidly in the air.

"Yeah, Jessica?"

"Move into my room with me."

A huge smiled came across Nick's face as he gave her a kiss. "You got it, Day."

A giggle escaped her lips as she pressed her lips against his, kissing him sweetly. Her hands grasped his shirt near his waist and pulled him closer. After a moment, she pulled away and started to laugh. "Sooooo, you were upset over a drawer, and now you're going to move into my room, is that right Miller?"

He nodded, blinking his eyes. "Pretty much."

"And that logic actually makes sense to you?" Her eyes sparkled as she tilted her head, a smirk across her lips.

"In my head."

She leaned back, squinting her eyes and still holding onto his waist. "You know, you can be really irritating when you can't just say what you want."

"You're kind of annoying when you put the obvious right out there, you know THAT, right?" He raised his eyebrows.

She nodded definitively. "But you love me."

"I most definitely love you."


	18. Quiet moments

**I know, I know...WHERE IS THE UPDATE TO "A WINTER WEDDING"?! I'm trying, but I admit, I got a little stuck in the middle, even though the ending was actually written first. We'll get there. ;-) **

* * *

Jess had surrounded herself with her work, literally. As she sat on the couch closest to the front door, she had organized neat piles of tests and essays around her, ready for a quiet evening. Schmidt was out and Winston had already left for work. She wasn't expecting Nick home for several hours, when she heard keys in the door behind her. Before she could turn around, she felt a warm hand on her shoulder as Nick bent down to kiss her left cheek.

"Hey Beautiful. Busy night?"

She adjusted her glasses as she turned around and smiled. "Hey, you're home early."

He squeezed her shoulder and walked toward the kitchen. "Bob needs me to cover for him the next two nights, so he took the end of my shift." He opened the fridge for a beer, and shouted over in her direction. "Need anything?"

She went back to studying the paper in front of her. "No thanks."

Nick threw the cap in the trashcan and walked passed the table on his way to the other couch. He shook his head and smiled, looking at Jess busy with her work. He sat down and grabbed the remote. "Jess?"

She looked up again and shook her head. "What? I'm sorry."

"Want to watch a movie?"

She frowned and shook her head. "You pick, I can't pay attention." She tapped the paper on her lap with her red pen. "I have to finish these."

He started to stand up. "Hey, I don't want to bother you. I know you were supposed to have the place to yourself tonight."

"WAIT. No." She held up her hand. "You won't bother me." She smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "I'm fine."

He nodded and sat back down, turning on the TV and putting the volume down as low as possible. He leaned back, taking a sip of his beer. Despite the fact that he was methodically changing the channel, he wasn't looking in it's direction at all. His eyes were focused on her.

Jess was sitting cross legged on the center cushion of the couch, with several piles of neatly stacked papers around her. She was wearing a pair of her little black shorts and a bright blue short sleeved shirt that seemed to cling to her in all the right places. He watched as she pushed her glasses up her nose, bent over a paper with a red pen suspended in the air. A small smile crossed her lips, as if something she read was mildly humorous. As she shook her head, the messy bun at the back of her head shifted from side to side, a small curl hanging down along her neck. _She was so incredibly beautiful. Had he ever noticed that tiny freckle on her jawline before?_

Nick took another sip of beer, glancing at the TV once again, but unable to focus on anything that was flashing before him. Realizing that nothing seemed as interesting as the woman sitting across from him, his eyes moved back towards Jess. He watched her even breaths as she periodically smoothed out the paper to write a neatly written note in the margin, always smiling as she did so. He followed her eyes as they scanned back and forth across the page, briefly turning it over to be sure not to miss one single word, then gently placing it on one of the piles beside her. He waited for her to pick up the next paper, but this time she paused briefly, a relaxed expression spreading across her face. Taking in a deep breath, the pen in her hand fell onto the paper on her lap, as she reached behind her head, slowly wrapping her fingers around the back of her neck. She closed her eyes and tilted her head backward ever so slightly, a soft groan escaping her lips as her trailing hand stopped to massage her right shoulder. Opening her eyes lazily, she twisted around and grabbed the cup of tea on the table behind her, bringing it in front of her chest to her other hand, and gently blowing into the hot liquid. Just as she touched her lips to the mug to take a sip, her eyes locked with his. _How did she always make him feel like he couldn't catch his breath? __  
_

He smiled back at her. _  
_

They both remained silent, as she took a sip of her tea, her eyes still locked onto his. She turned around to put the cup back on the table, her gaze only breaking momentarily from his dark brown eyes. She smiled and tilted her head, a sparkle coming across her eyes. Her nose scrunched slightly as her smile widened, before she bent down to pick up her pen, continuing her reading. _  
_

Nick took a deep breath, leaning forward to place his beer bottle on the coffee table. As his eyes trailed back up to the television across from him, his eyes fell onto his laptop that he had left sitting there that morning. A small smile crossing his lips, he lifted up on the couch just far enough to reach it and sunk back into the cushion. Glancing up at Jess, who was once again in her own quiet world of Middle School ramblings, he laid it on his lap and opened the lid.

Jess continued to read her students' essays and made it through two more before her eyes started to droop. She placed the pen on her lap and rubbed her eyes underneath her glasses. She had forgotten how tiring this could get. She took a deep breath, ready to start another essay when she heard a soft beep. She rustled a few papers around, lifting the pile to her right until she found her phone that had been buried next to her. Opening her email, she saw one from Nick.

Jess lifted her head and looked over at him, confused. He was staring straight ahead into his screen, not looking at her. She shrugged her shoulders and shook her head, clicking it open.

_Jessica,_

_This is the best part of my day, even if it's just watching you work. The past 5 months have been amazing. I know it's hard for me to always tell you how I feel, but I wanted you to know that I think about you every second that I'm not with you. Will you come home to Chicago with me for Christmas?_

_Love, __Nick_

Jess brought her hand to her mouth and blinked back tears. She hit "reply" and answered him with one word. Glancing up at Nick, she saw him smile as he read the reply. Over the past few months, she had learned that even though Nick communicated with her in unconventional ways sometimes, he never missed an opportunity to make her feel like she was the most important person in the world to him. She set her phone and the pile of papers in her lap on the coffee table as she stood up and silently walked towards Nick. Standing in front of him, she bent down to gently close the lid to his laptop, lifting it off his lap and turning around to set it on the table next to her stack of papers. She sat down on his knee and took his face in her hands. He stared into her sparkling blue eyes before she leaned in to kiss him softly. He grabbed her waist, pulling her across his lap as her hands rested on the arm that was now tightly wrapped around her.

She leaned her head on his shoulder, nuzzling her nose into that perfect spot on his neck. Her voice caught in her throat as she managed to whisper, "Christmas in Chicago sounds amazing."


	19. Friends and cupcakes

Jess was standing at the kitchen island drinking her tea one morning, deep in thought, when Schmidt came out of his room. She was startled out of her daze when he cheerfully greeted her. "Jessica Day, how are you doing?!"

After glancing at his expression, she narrowed her eyes. "What do you want, Schmidt?"

His head snapped back as he rolled his eyes. "Well, I am offended. Can't I ask my roommate how she is doing this fine Sunday afternoon?"

She placed her tea down on the counter and raised her eyebrows. "Out with it, or I'm going back to my room."

He threw up his hands and shook his head, sitting down on a stool near the fridge. "Fine. Remember how you made those cupcakes for me last year for my boss' office lunch?"

She sat down on the stool in front of her, taking another sip of her tea. "Right, yeah I remember."

He lowered his voice ever so slightly. "It's tomorrow."

She sighed. "And let me guess, YOU FORGOT to order something." Her head flopped to the side dramatically. "AGAIN."

"Your assumption is correct."

She raised her voice and slapped her hands on the counter, her mug gently chattering on the metal. "Really Schmidt? TOMORROW?!"

His voice took on his annoying, begging tone. "I'll owe you." A cheesy grin spread across his face. "You and Nick can have your pick of any of my 3rd tier sex toys."

She scrunched up her face, practically screaming. "EW. Just, NO." She sighed in defeat as she stood up off the stool and turned to look in the cabinets for the ingredients she needed. "Fine, Schmidt I'll do it. But you better not complain the next time Nick and I want time alone."

A wide grin spread across his face. "Deal."

* * *

A few hours later, after making sure she had all the ingredients for the cupcakes, she started to get to work. Tying a bright red apron with apples on it around her waist, she started dumping ingredients into a mixing bowl. By the time she had one set finished and cooling on the counter, Nick had come home from a trip to the hardware store and sat down on the stool across the counter from her, facing into the small kitchen. Just before he could reach over and grab a freshly iced cupcake from the plate, she stretched across and slapped his hand.

"Nope. These are for Schmidt."

He glared at her disdainfully. "What do you mean they're for Schmidt?!"

She grabbed the wooden spoon and once again started mixing the batter in a bowl in front of her.

"Well not really for_ him_, for his office party."

Nick frowned. "Why are _you_ making them for him?"

She shrugged her shoulders and started pouring the batter into the pretty paper liners in her baking pan. "He asked if I would." She quickly glanced up at a silent Nick before pausing what she was doing and putting the bowl back down on the counter. He had a very strange look on his face. "Nick, are you okay?"

He glanced across at all her hard work and back to her. "But you're...why..." He saw the confused look on her face and stopped. "Forget it."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Forget what? Nick, what are you talking about?"

He shrugged. "I just don't understand why _you_ have to do it. What about Elizabeth?"

She looked confused. "What does she have to do with baking for his work? She's all the way across town."

He placed his hands flat on the metal surface of the counter and started drumming his fingers. "Well _she's_ his girlfriend."

She just raised her eyebrows. "I don't know, he's probably not going back over there before tomorrow morning. I can just leave them here for him and..." She studied Nick's aggravated expression carefully. "Wait, what is this about?" A small smile started to form in the corners of her mouth, her voice softer. "Are you upset that I'm making these for him?"

His eyes widened as he nervously leaned onto the counter, unable to look her in the eye. He scrunched up his face and began shaking his head back and forth, still looking down at the counter. "No. No. Just...whatever." He leaned further onto his elbows, trying to casually shrug his shoulders up around his neck.

She narrowed her eyes. "I'm really confused... Nick, what?"

He lifted his head and looked into her eyes. Through gritted teeth he replied hastily, "I said FORGET IT."

She took a deep breath and shrugged her shoulders as he sat in silence. She picked up the bowl again, giving the contents a few swirls with the spoon. Under her breath she muttered, "I don't know why you're being so pissy with me right now. I was just trying to be a nice friend." She glanced up at him and then back into the bowl. "And besides, I did it last year."

He had lost just about all the patience he had managed to hold together and blurted out, "Yeah, but last year you weren't MY girlfriend."

Jess froze and stared stunned at him with wide eyes, slowly placing the bowl onto the counter, the spoon still in her hand. _Oh. That's what it was about_. Now it made sense.

Jess smiled slowly and tilted her head to the side. Her eyes were sparkling. "Nicholas Miller are you _jealous _that I baked cupcakes for Schmidt?" He averted his gaze, wincing slightly at the word "jealous". Her smile widened as she started twirling her batter covered spoon in front of his face, several blobs falling off onto the counter in the process. Nick, still not looking her in the eye leaned back on the stool to avoid being poked with the batter-laden wooden spoon. Jess let out a small laugh, pulling the spoon back and hitting it on the side of the bowl. Her jaw dropped. "Oh my God, you ARE."

He grimaced and shook his head as he stuck out his tongue. "Blech, NO!"

Still holding the spoon over the bowl, she started walking around the corner of the island and in a sing song voice, said "Niiiiiiick"

He leaned his left elbow on the counter, turning toward her and let out a huge sigh. "Fine. Maybe I ...well what if I was the one...just." He took a deep breath and looked her straight in the eye, her face now only about a foot away from his. "FINE. I'M A LITTLE JEALOUS."

Her eyes softened as she stared into his. Slowly his face relaxed and he let out an embarrassed grunt, starting to smile.

"Nick, do you want me to make you cupcakes?" She tilted her head to the side, grinning.

He waved his right hand in front of him, still leaning on the counter. "No, that's ridiculous. I don't need cupcakes..."

She rolled her eyes and moved her head to try to catch his meandering gaze. "Chocolate with peanut butter frosting?"

He tried his hardest to avoid her eyes. "I'm not even hungry."

She moved her head within inches of his face, making it impossible for him to avoid eye contact with her any longer. "With those little m&m's on top?"

He started to smile, unable to look away. "Why do those tiny things taste so damn good!"

"Nick, shut up and kiss me before I hit you with this spoon."


	20. If not here

After a relaxing night of watching movies, Schmidt and Winston had just gone to bed, Nick and Jess still nestled in the corner of the couch. With his legs stretched out in front of him, Jess was laying on her back with her head resting on Nick's left thigh.

"Nick, can I ask you something?" She continued to play with Nick's hand as it rested on her stomach.

"Shoot."

"Do you ever miss Chicago?"

Nick hit mute on the remote and looked down at her. "Hmm, maybe sometimes. I always did like the snow. Well, maybe just the FIRST snow, then it pretty much sucked the rest of the season."

She continued to stare straight ahead toward the wall. "Do you think you'd ever want to move back there someday?"

He shook his head. "I don't know, I don't think so. I feel like a different person when I'm there."

"Do you ever miss that person?"

He grasped her hand and squeezed, looking down at her with a little laugh. "I feel like I'm going to give the wrong answer here, is this some sort of test?"

She sat up and spun herself around, bringing her knees to her chest. She leaned against the back of the couch, grabbing his hand once again. Without looking up she asked, "Are you happy here? With me?"

He shook his hand, bumping his elbow into her, trying to get her to look at him. "Hey, are you okay? Where's this coming from?" She shrugged and just glanced at him, her expression unchanged. "Jess, I'm happy. _Really_ happy. I hope you know that. You _do_ know that, right?"

A smile crept across her face and she kissed his cheek, laying her head on his shoulder. They stayed silent for a few moments and Nick squeezed her hand, whispering softly. "Are _you_ happy?"

She wrapped her arms around his arm and squeezed hard. "_So_ happy. I just like knowing more about you, that's all."

He leaned his head to the left, resting it on top of hers. "Ok. My turn then. If you didn't live in this loft, where would you live?"

"You mean where, or what kind of house?"

"Both? I don't know, you choose."

She sat up to look at him. "Ok, well. I do miss Oregon sometimes, but only because my parents are there, the rain wasn't so much fun. And..." She squinted her eyes, "if I didn't live in a loft... I think I'd want to live...in...okay, promise not to laugh?"

He smiled and shook his head. "Never."

"Ok well, you know how everyone always dreams of living in these huge, expansive estates with the big staircases and the pools and gardens and everything? Well... I want a really tiny house. Well, not so tiny that when Schmidt comes to visit I need to give up my room for his hair products, BUT just cozy. Just enough space that I wouldn't need to buy lots of stuff just for it to feel warm and homey. You know?"

"Hmm..."

Her eyes sparkled. "But I want a big window seat. One where I can stuff it full of lots of pillows and just fall asleep laying in the sun."

With a laugh, he continued to stare at her. "That sounds kinda nice."

She nudged his shoulder with hers. "What about you?"

He closed one eye. "This is gonna sound really weird, but I think I'd like to mow my own lawn."

Jess laughed. "YOU?! But you'd have to be outside. Like a LOT? And you were really bad at growing tomatoes..."

"I know, stupid right?" He let out a loud laugh. "But I think it would be fun. You know, to have something that was really _mine_. People would know if I really cared about it, because I'd have to keep the grass cut. So yeah, I think that would be good." He nodded decisively. "To have something to take care of."

She sat up and rested her chin on his shoulder, her eyes inches from his. "You take care of _me_." He let out a little laugh. She pulled her chin off and sat up. "No, you do."

He reached across to squeeze her knee. "Jess, you are an incredibly independent woman who could do anything she wanted."

She shook her head. "But you still take care of me. And I really like it. You're the one person that can snap me back to reality, or point out when I'm doing something really stupid." She laughed again. "Take the compliment Miller!"

He paused for a moment and smiled. "Okay, fair enough. I'm sorry. And just for the record..." His voice grew softer. "I like when you take care of me too."

"Even if I hide the butter when I cook bacon?"

"Even then."

"Good."

"Okay, Jess, one more question." He took a deep breath. "What would you say if I told you I was thinking about asking to be the bar manager when Shane leaves next month?"

Her jaw dropped before a huge smile came across her face. "Manager?! When did you find out about this?"

"Well, I didn't." He shrugged. "Not yet anyway. But what if I did? I mean, what if I asked them about it. Do you think I could do it?"

She rubbed his arm. "Nick, I think you could do anything you wanted if you _really_ wanted it. You're a smart guy, who cares a lot and can really pour your heart into something," She poked his side. "eeeeeven if you won't admit it."

He couldn't help but laugh, grabbing the hand that was poking him. "So you think I'd be pretty good at it?"

"Hey, I saw you with the 'Iron Jew' when we were in Chicago. You'd be awesome!"

He started to frown as she noticed a sadness in his eyes. "But if it didn't work out and I didn't get it..."

"Hey," she reached out with her left hand and swept it across his forehead. "I'd still love you and let you stay in my little house."

He smiled and leaned a little into her hand as it settled on his cheek. "Promise?"

Giving him a quick kiss, "_Swear_ to it."

He leaned back, smiling again. "You know, if I got the job, I'd get to see you a lot more. I'd have better hours and wouldn't have to work late every night. You'd probably be sick of me."

"NICK. I could NEVER be sick of you." She gave him another warm kiss and bounced a little on the couch. "I'm so excited for you!" She squealed and managed to get her arms around his waist and leaned against him for a hug.

"JESS!" She started moving her fingers around his waist, poking him gently. "Jess, stop. Stop it. Stop. That's not fair!"

He grabbed her waist and pushed backwards onto the couch, both of them laughing. "NICK!" He leaned over and started kissing her neck, her fingers slowly stopping their jabs at his stomach. "Niiiiick. That's so not fair." She closed her eyes, her breath becoming labored. His hands trailed down her sides, lifting the hem of her shirt and caressing her bare skin.

He paused, pulling back with a devious grin on his face. "Do you _still_ think you can win against me, Day?"

She smiled as her hands made their way to his neck. As her left hand slowly stroked the back of his neck, her right hand made tiny swirling motions through his hair. She pursed her lips and watched as he leaned back with his eyes fluttering shut and his head going limp.

A small laugh escaped her lips before she grabbed his shoulders and pulled him down on top of her, crashing her lips onto his. Between kisses, she gasped, "Yeah, totally winning..."


	21. Insecurities

It was early November, and Jess and Winston were sitting on the couch one evening watching TV. Nick had already gone to work, and Schmidt was out with Elizabeth.

Or so they thought.

The door to the loft slammed shut, startling both Jess and Winston. They both looked up to see Schmidt standing in the foyer, his hair a mess and his mouth pressed into a firm frown.

Jess leaned forward and placed her mug of tea on the coffee table. "Hey Schmidt. You okay?"

Schmidt threw up his hands and walked to the opposite leg of the couch, flopping down dramatically and slumping backwards. Jess turned to her right and looked at Winston with wide eyes. Winston stood up and walked around to sit down next to Schmidt, as Jess slid her way across the cushions to sit on his other side.

She placed her hand gently on his knee and spoke softly. "What happened?"

Without moving at all, his eyes staring into the distance, he just said. "I broke up with Elizabeth."

Both Winston and Jess winced at the same time and Jess nodded toward Winston, encouraging him to say something.

"Man, that sucks. You want to talk about it?" He shrugged and just looked at Jess, then back at Schmidt.

"Not really. I don't know. She...And then we...NO. I don't want to talk about it."

"You know what Schmidt?" Jess started to stand up and held out her hand. "We're gonna take you out."

Winston grimaced. "We are?"

Jess looked straight at Winston while she spoke. "Yes, we are. Come on, Schmidt. We'll go get a few drinks and then you can tell us all about it."

"Or JUST drink and NOT tell us every detail..." Winston added.

Jess just glared at him. "Winston". She hissed under her breath. He just shrugged and mouthed. "what?"

* * *

By the time Jess had changed into her red flared dress with the black belt, and made it to the bar with Winston and Schmidt, the place was already crowded. They found a table about midway between the far wall and the bar and sat down. Jess and Winston took the seats on the end of the round booth, figuring it was better to keep Schmidt safely between them with no chance of escaping to steal the bottle of Melon liqueur he always managed to find.

After giving the bar a quick glance for Nick, she turned to Schmidt. "So, want to tell us what happened?"

He leaned back in the seat. "There's not much to tell. It just wasn't working." He turned to Jess. "It's like you said. She was comfortable. It was as if I had my good friend back, but." He sighed and shook his head. "She just wasn't Cece. Cece will always be my gorgeous and vibrant crowning sexual achievement."

Jess grimaced, but reached out to rub his shoulder. "Sorry you had to go through all this to find that out, though."

He put his hands up on the table. "Eh, I'll be alright. Who wants to be _comfortable _anyway?"

Winston just shrugged his shoulders, looking at Jess and then back at Schmidt.

Jess scanned the room for Nick again, but still couldn't find him.

"Hey Winston, do you see Nick?"

Winston looked around for a minute and then nodded to a table in the corner before turning back to Schmidt. "Over there."

Jess turned around and her smile quickly faded. Nick was standing in front of the table holding an empty tray, engaged in a conversation with a tall, leggy blond seated on the end. There was something about the way her legs were casually thrown over the end of the booth, and how she was leaning towards her boyfriend that just didn't sit right with her. Jess narrowed her eyes and nervously bit her lip. A waitress came over to the table at that moment to take their order.

"JESS." Winston reached across the table and poked her arm. She slowly turned and shook her head.

"Sorry." She looked up at the waitress. "Tequila shot". The waitress smiled and nodded, turning on her heels as Winston raised his eyebrows.

"Shots, Jess?"

She shrugged her shoulders and turned her legs toward the outside of the seat, leaning on the table. "Yeah, so?"

Winston glanced at Jess, and then toward the bar where Nick had now returned. "You sure about this?"

Jess rolled her eyes and turned toward the far table, the blond now laughing with the two brunettes sitting with her as she glanced back and forth toward the bar. Jess stood up and slapped her hand on the table. "I'm going to say hi to Nick."

Winston just shook his head.

* * *

Nick was busy with a customer on the other side of the bar, so she walked up and rested her arm on the end of the counter. She was standing there for only a moment when their waitress passed by with their drinks.

"Hey, you're Nick's girlfriend, right?"

Jess smiled and nodded. "Busy night?"

She rolled her eyes. "So crazy." She turned the tray toward Jess. "You sitting here now?" Jess nodded and the waitress grabbed her shot glass and placed it in front of her. "Let me know if you need anything else."

"Thanks."

Jess grabbed the glass, glancing over at the blond. Her eyes narrowed as she studied her once again, before downing the shot and slamming the glass a little too hard on the wood surface of the bar.

"Easy there, sweetheart."

Jess turned her head to see Nick with a towel over his shoulder and his hands together in front of him, leaning on the bar. She was momentarily relieved and smiled brightly.

"Hey, you look busy." She reached out to grab his hand.

He quickly grabbed her hand in his and gave it a squeeze. "I am. Look, I'll try to get over to the table in a little bit, okay?" He leaned to the right and glanced over at their table. He saw Schmidt slumped against the seat with his arms crossed in front of him. He nodded toward them. "What's up with Schmidt?"

Jess turned to glance over and then back at Nick, rolling her eyes. "Long story. Nick, can..." Just then Big Bob was calling for him and motioning him to the other side again. He winked and mouthed an "I'm sorry" as he backed up to turn and walk to the other side.

Jess shook her head and sighed, turning away from the bar and walked back to their table.

* * *

After two more Tequila shots, Jess had settled on sipping a glass of pink wine to slow down the haze beginning to cloud her head. About a half hour later, she was feeling a little bit better and was sitting alone at the table waiting for Cece, as Winston and Schmidt made their way to the bar. She was feeling more than a little satisfied when she glanced over at the blond's table and noticed that only her two friends were left. Her satisfaction was short-lived however, when she saw that the blond had taken up residence on a stool at the bar, not far from where the guys were sitting. Just then, Jess saw her lean across and grab a cherry from behind the bar, just as Nick walked by. Clearly trying to get his attention for some reason, he stopped and they started chatting. Nick was mixing a drink for her as she started throwing her head back in an annoying and obviously flirtatious way.

Jess took a long sip from her wine. Placing the glass down, she started swirling the glass on the table as she stared straight ahead. _Why do I get the feeling he's flirting right back? _She shook her head. She was acting crazy. Nick was rushing to finish, when he bumped her glass and some of the liquid spilled on her arm. She playfully grabbed the towel over his shoulder and used it to wipe her arm dry. She swore she saw Nick reach out for her hand, but quickly shook her head, disgusted with herself. _What am I doing?_ Nick had turned to walk away just then, and she found herself sighing with relief. The blond continued to watch Nick though. Why was this making her increasingly angry?

Or...Jealous?

No. That was ridiculous.

She shook her head and pondered the thought, when she felt the seat cushion dip next to her. "Hey, babe." Cece bumped her shoulder with hers and she smiled.

"Cece! When did you get here?"

"Just now." She nodded toward the bar. "Long enough to see you plotting the death of that blond over there for talking to your boyfriend."

Jess frowned and took another sip of wine. "That obvious, huh?"

"What's going on?"

Jess shook her head. "Nothing. It's nothing. She just..." Her eyes narrowed as she looked back at the blond. "There's just something about her that's really bugging me. She's totally coming on to him and he doesn't even do anything."

Cece shrugged. "What do you want him to do? He's just doing his job, Jess."

"But does he have to be so..._sexy_ doing it?"

Cece just laughed, putting her hand on Jess's arm and giving it a squeeze. "I'm headed to the bar. Need anything?"

Jess just shook her head and Cece disappeared toward the bar. She walked up next to the blond and motioned for Nick.

As Nick walked over to Cece, she kept an eye on the blond out of the corner of her eye.

"Hey Cece, what can I get ya?"

Cece smiled. "Nothing for me right now, but your girlfriend over there could use you when you have a minute." She spoke a little louder than she needed to and motioned her head toward Jess.

Nick frowned and moved his head to look over at Jess. "She okay? She looks upset."

Cece just smiled. "Just get over there."

With a confused look on his face, he walked around to the back of the bar counter and made his way to Jess' table.

Nick slid into the seat across from Jess and reached out to lay his hands over hers as she played with her glass. "Everything okay?"

Jess looked up and managed a weak smiled, letting go of her glass and grasping his hands. "Yeah...I'm...everything's fine." She shook her head as he cocked his to the side and pursed his lips.

"You're not _fine_. What's wrong?"

"Nick, it's fine."

Nick rolled his eyes, knowing that there was clearly something bothering her, but not wanting to get in a argument about it, decided to drop it. "Sorry it's been so crazy here tonight."

Jess glanced over at the bar and back at Nick. "You seem to have plenty of time for that blond over there." As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted it. She knew she was being ridiculous and she hated herself for it to come out sounding so bitter.

It was evident that Nick had picked up on the anger in her voice, because his eyes narrowed. "Really? She's a customer Jess. It's my _job_."

Feeling a little emboldened from the alcohol, Jess raised her voice a little in annoyance. "She wants more than _drinks_ and you know it." OUCH. She pressed her eyelids closed for a second. What had gotten into her? She wanted to take it back immediately, but it was too late.

He let go of her hands and started to stand up. "I'm not doing this with you, Jess. You can't act all jealous the second I serve a pretty woman a drink."

His words cut into her. "Wait, so she IS _pretty_."

Nick shook his head in exasperation. "That's not what I meant, just... You know that's..." His voice was noticeably louder now.

"You said it, not _me_."

"Jessica, STOP. You know I didn't mean it that way...and." He stood at the end of the table and slapped his hands on the table. "You're acting insane right now."

She felt tears well up in her eyes. She couldn't believe what he had just said, and even more importantly, that she had started the whole damn argument in the first place. Frustrated with herself and annoyed that he couldn't see how hurt she was, she grabbed her glass and gulped down the last half of wine. She stood up as he tried to block her from leaving the booth. "Move Nick." His eyes widened and he crossed his arms in front of him. She pushed against his shoulders and he took a step backward. "I said move, Nick. I'm not kidding"

His arms fell to his side, as he tried to grab her hand. "What are you doing?"

She twisted her body away from him and gave him an icy stare. "Stop. Just go back to your _job." _The mocking tone in her voice wasn't her best moment. She flinched as she heard it come out of her mouth.

Nick just glared at her, his eyes narrowing. A smug smile came across his face. He knew she was upset, but something inside him wanted to see just how worked up she really was over this. He _knew_ she wasn't _actually_ this angry at him over one stupid customer, but he was somewhat fascinated with how passionate she was. In all honesty, he was kind of flattered. He never pictured Jess to be the jealous type, and it was kind of boosting his ego just a little bit. He tried to keep from smiling, "Are you telling me you are JEALOUS of that woman, Day?!"

"_JEALOUS!?_?" She scoffed. "of HER. Now _you_ sound like the crazy one, Miller. I'm just so pissed off right now that you can't even see that she's practically throwing herself at you, and you don't even care! You're right in front of me and it's doesn't even bother you!"

Nick pursed his lips and took a deep breath. Now he was getting angry. "OH, so you think I'm too stupid to know when a girl is hitting on me or not?! I'm sorry that I don't speak your language of imagining things!"

Her eyes narrowed, her face now flushed. "Are you SERIOUS?" She threw her hands in the air. "You don't care that she's flirting with you?"

"Why would I?!"

All of a sudden, Jess' face fell. She pushed past him. He hadn't meant for it to sound the way it did. Of course he didn't care if women flirted with him. Why would he notice? He was already with the only woman he wanted. He reached out to grab her hand. "Jess...Jess that's not what I meant."

Tears started to fall down her face as she broke free from his grasp, running toward the back of the bar.

"Wait, Jess..." Nick felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to find Cece's not-so-thrilled expression looking back at him. He let out a huge sigh and motioned toward Jess, who had at that moment disappeared into the restroom hallway.

"I'll talk to her."

Nick reached up to rub his eyes with his hands. "God, she drives me insane sometimes." He looked at Cece. "She doesn't even know what she's talking about..."

Cece patted his arm, giving him a sympathetic look. "I know that. She just...the insecurities come back sometimes, you know?"

Nick just shrugged. "I just don't know what she thinks she saw."

Cece frowned. "The possibility that she could lose you." Her voice softened. "That's what she saw."

Nick took a deep breath as he watched Cece run after Jess.

* * *

Nick nervously watched the doorway waiting for Jess and Cece to come out of the bathroom. It infuriated him that she would assume the worst from him, but his heart had also sank seeing her so upset. He knew she was being ridiculous, assuming the worst. The woman had asked for a drink and being in a rush because the bar was so busy, he had spilled some on her arm. What was she thinking getting upset over it? She was just another obnoxious customer who came in and tried to engage him in a boring conversation that he wasn't paying attention to anyway.

_Throwing herself at him? Really, Jessica? _He shook his head, trying to stifle a laugh.

Why were women so weird sometimes?

Just then a waitress came over to him and gave him an order for "her" table. He rolled his eyes and assembled the drinks together on a tray, making his way across the bar.

Jess emerged from the bathroom hallway and glanced across the room. She watched as Nick leaned over the table with a tray, to place their drinks in front of them. As he did, the blond reached out and started rubbing his arm. Not noticing, he stood up and simply smiled. As he turned to walk back to the bar, she grabbed his hand and pulled him towards her. Slightly losing his balance, he stumbled and grabbed the edge of the table, trying to pull his hand away. She reached out with the other and touched his shirt.

"So, when do you get off work tonight? It's Nick, right?"

"Yeah, um. I need to get back to the bar. You ladies have a nice night." _Crap. _Maybe Jess HAD been right. It was clear to him now that this woman was interested in more than cocktails. Now he felt pretty stupid for accusing Jess of acting crazy.

Jess clenched her teeth, her eyes narrowing as she made her way across the room. If that woman even though for one second that she could touch him like that, she...

Oh boy. He was right.

She WAS jealous.

_Damn him._

She shook her head and clenched her fists, reaching the table as Nick finally pulled his hand away and stood up. His eyes widened in horror as he saw Jess standing directly in front of him, her arms crossed in front of her.

Oh God, what did she think she saw? This was bad. This was really bad. He cringed and started to open his mouth. Just as he was about to say something to Jess, she lurched forward and grabbed the front of his shirt. He momentarily lost his footing as Jess aggressively kissed him, her tongue finding his and her body melting against his chest. For a moment he forgot where he was and pulled her waist toward him. He moaned quietly against her lips as she pulled away, his heart racing. Wide eyed and breathless he stared into Jess deep blue eyes and saw how worked up she was. Before he could open his mouth, Jess turned toward the three women at the table, eyeing the blond at the end up and down.

"You better find someone else to go after, because Nick only comes home with me. You got that?" She glared at the woman as she stared ahead, dumbfounded. Jess reached to grab Nick's hand, turning on her heels to walk back toward the bar. With each step her resolve melted away. By the time they reached the bar she had lost every bit of confidence she had over the situation and bit her lip. Nick grabbed her shoulders, trying to turn her around, but she fought against him as her hands shot up to her eyes.

"Jessica."

She shook her head violently as she covered her face with her hands, afraid to look at him. He finally turned her to face him and she felt the bar against her back. She bent her head to the floor still covering her eyes. "Oh God Nick. I'm sorry."

He laughed softly. "Jess..." He pried her hands from her face and held them in his. She squeezed her eyes shut as she slowly raised her head. "Jess, what was that?" His voice was quiet.

Her eyes were still shut as she bit her lip. "I don't knoooooow. That was awful." She slowly opened her right eye. "I'm such an idiot."

He had a strange expression on his face as he smiled. "You're not an idiot."

Her eyes shot open. "I AM. God, I'm so ridiculous."

"And maybe a little jealous?" He teased gently.

She sighed heavily. "SO jealous. Raging jealousy, Nick." She clenched her fists. "I want to claw that woman's eyes out, jealous."

He laughed and pulled her into his chest to hug her tightly. She giggled as she let herself relax into his arms, wrapping her arms around him and clinging to him. He buried his face in her hair. "I love you."

She pulled away and frowned. "Even though I'm certifiably insane?"

"Even though you're...a really sweet girlfriend who means a lot to me."

She shook her head. "You're not mad? I probably embarrassed you and..."

He pulled back and laughed. "Are you kidding me?!" He swept her hair back off her shoulders, twisting it gently behind her shoulders. "I just had THE sexiest woman in the bar throw herself at me in front of everyone and practically threaten anyone that comes near me."

Her eyes relaxed and she let out a giggle. "I did do that, didn't I."

"jess, that was pretty impressive." He winked at her. "Completely insane, ...but really, really hot."

"I AM sorry Nick. You were right, I was jealous." She sighed. "I don't want to be the crazy, lunatic girlfriend."

"You're not. Not at all." He took her face in his hands, rubbing his thumbs along her cheeks as she continued to frown. "Listen, I do a lot of really stupid things, and I don't always think about the words that come out of my mouth. And I will probably make a lot of mistakes with you." He looked at her with an intensity she had never seen before. "But, I don't cheat. Ever, Jess. I will NEVER do that to you." His voice softened and she started to smile. "That is one thing I can promise you."

She nodded slowly, her hands grasping his wrists as she looked into his eyes. She whispered, "I know that, Nick."

"Good." He leaned down to kiss her. "Because you are the best thing that's ever happened to me. And I'm doing everything I can not to screw this up."

She collapsed into his chest and sighed. "I hate feeling like this. Feeling self-conscious. When I saw that woman, I just felt myself snap, you know? I mean...I'm just a teacher Nick. Julia was this big, successful lawyer...Angie was wild and crazy and... I'm not any of those things."

He stepped down to her eye level, a shocked look on his face. "Wait...What? Jess are you serious? Do you think I compare you to them?!" He stared at her sad expression in shock. How could she even think for one second that all those other women he had dated were even close to being in the same league as her? Had he made her feel that way all this time? Where in the world was all this coming from?

She bit her lip and felt the tears burning in her eyes. She tried to dismissively wave her hand, but he caught it and held it tight. He motioned to get Bob's attention, pointing down to Jess and then over toward the tables. Bob just nodded and Nick put his arm around Jess' shoulders, walking to an empty round table. He scooted in first and pulled her next to him. She turned toward him and leaned her head on the back of the seat.

Jess tried not to look at Nick, knowing what would happen if she did, but it was a futile effort on her part and tears started rolling down her cheeks. Nick leaned his right elbow on the edge of the table and stroked her arm, holding her other hand in his.

He leaned his head against the seat, mirroring her. "Jess, do you really think I care if you are _anything_ like those other women?" His voice was soft and surprised.

Jess sniffled, blinking her eyes and avoiding his gaze. "I don't know...I just. I think I'm just having a really bad night."

"Why? Did something else happen?" He reached over with his right hand and wiped the tears and smudged mascara from her cheeks.

"Schmidt broke up with Elizabeth today."

Nick looked confused. "I know, he just told me. I thought you'd be happy because of Cece and everything you and Schmidt talked about..."

She took a deep breath. "Well, maybe I feel like I'm Elizabeth. You know, that old comfortable friend that's always been there. And...Cece's always been the more exciting, and glamorous one."

Nick shook his head, still looking completely baffled. He squeezed her hand. "What?"

Jess looked up at him with sad eyes. "What if one day you figure out that you're with a boring, average, weirdo..."

"Jessica!" He shook his head in disbelief. How could this gorgeous, intelligent, and amazing woman even think something so insane? "I have never met a woman as far from AVERAGE as you."

A small grunt escaped her throat and she frowned. "I hate feeling so insecure like this, but damnit Nick, I'm just not like all those other girls and...when I saw that blond trying to hit on you..."

"Stop it Jess." He could almost feel his frustration rising. "It's YOU that I want." He realized he was almost screaming, and Jess' eyes were wide. He took a deep breath. She scooted closer to him, as he took her face in his hands. "You are." He kissed her softly. "Perfect..." He kissed her again. "...just the way you are."

"Even when I go crazy?"

He laughed. "Even then."

She relaxed a little and sighed. "I WAS jealous."

"And I'm sorry if I made you feel that way." He dropped his hands into her lap, intertwining his fingers with hers. "I only want to be with one woman, and that's you."

She nodded weakly and smiled, whispering. "I love you."

"I love you, too." He sat up and tugged on her hands. "Will you come over to the bar now?"

She laughed and let go of his hands, scooting over and pulling herself out of the booth. After he stood up, he reached over and grabbed her waist, pulling her toward his chest. She smiled and snaked her hands up around his neck. A pouty look came across his face.

"Will you come sit at the bar and flirt with me so I can make everyone ELSE jealous?'

She swatted his chest. "Oh, well now you're just using me to boost your male ego, Mister."

He grinned and raised his eyebrows. "Absolutely."


	22. Losing control

***This chapter contains some borderline M rated content, mostly in the form of innuendos. Just playing it safe for the sake of my account. ;-)***

"Come on, just slam him down already!"

Jess bit her lip and stared at Nick from the opposite couch in the living room. Winston and Nick had been watching a Bears game and were sitting together on the couch directly across from the television, enjoying a few beers. Without missing a beat, Nick took a sip from his bottle. After gargling the mouthful for what seemed like an eternity, he continued to stare at the screen, and then turned his head toward Winston.

"What the hell was that?" He motioned toward the screen, leaning over onto his knees. _Were his biceps always that big? When did that black shirt get so damn tight? _"Grab him and throw him down! GEEZ." His voice was gruff. "How can they expect to score if they can't be a little rough?!"

Winston threw up his hands, screaming. "OOOOOOOHHHHH! Damn."

Nick thrust his beer at the TV. "He needs to just get in there to score."

Jess felt herself breathing heavily. _Where did that vein in his neck come from? _It was taking some serious restraint on her part not to launch herself across the room right now.

Damn that Nick Miller.

She had promised herself not to interfere with their game when she brought her papers out here to grade. She knew it was important that they get to watch some football together, since he had been spending so much time with Jess lately. She hadn't even wanted to bring her work out here, but Nick insisted, trying hard to balance their relationship with the rest of their interactions in the loft.

"Jess." Winston was looking right at her.

She casually brushed hair from her forehead. _It was November, w__hy did she feel so damn hot? "_Hmm?" She blinked her eyes at Winston.

"Sorry for the screaming. You still working over there?"

She gave a weak nod. "Me? Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Just fine." She tapped her paper and lowered her head. "Juuuuust grading some papers."

Winston shook his head, squinting his eyes at her.

They went back to watching the game. It seemed like the room was getting hotter by the second. She brought her pen to her lips and nervously started tapping. Biting her lips she tried to watch the game, but her eyes kept drifting to Nick instead. He was holding his beer bottle in his right hand, and his left was spread across his kneecap. _Oh God, those hands. _She closed her eyes and remembered how soft those hands felt when they were laying in bed this morning. The way that one had been stroking her stomach, while the other was holding hers under the pillow. She took a deep breath and touched her neck with her left hand, biting down harder on her lip. Oh, that scruffy face, how he lays it right in the crook of her neck as his hair grazes her cheek when they cuddle.

She sunk her back further into the couch.

His face.

Oh that perfect face.

The way his eyes always seem to smile at her when he looks her way. The way she could always tell what he was feeling now, just by studying his face.

_How can he look so good being so grumpy? _Lowering her hand, she started to roll the pen in her palms in front of her. He was leaning forward now, his elbows resting on his knees, the bottle being held with those strong fingers in both his hands. She brushed her bangs out of her face with her left hand and tucked the hair behind her ear. _How do his fingers always manage to barely touch my skin when he runs them across my face? They're always so warm. _She loved when he got nervous and would run his thumb back and forth over his index finger. She never missed the opportunity to reach out and hold his hand when she saw him do it.

_I just want to hold those hands right now._

_And run my fingers through that thick hair._

_Kiss that bulging vein in his neck._

_Feel those arms wrapped around me._

The pen in her hand suddenly dropped from her fingers and made a soft pop on the papers in her lap. Her eyes blinked lazily as she stared straight ahead to where Nick had been sitting.

"Jess. Hey Jess." She felt the cushion dip next to her and she shook her head, blinking furiously. Nick was now sitting next to her, a worried look on his face. Her eyes dropped to the hand he had placed on her knee, then up to his eyes, then down to his lips. He smiled and squeezed her knee gently. Taking a deep breath, her eyes darted to the place on his neck where the vein had been popping out and then back to his eyes. Biting her lip, she sighed deeply.

"Yeah?"

"You sure you're okay? You're acting kind of strange."

"Me? Who me?" She let out a gasping laugh and pointed to herself. "Nope, nothing wrong with me." Her eyes traveled down his arm to the hand on her knee again, where her skin felt like it was on fire. Her left hand grasped the back of her neck as she ran her hand back through her hair. She felt her cheeks flushing. "Nope, just letting you two enjoy your football. Yeah, I think I forgot something in my room. Right. My room." She glanced over at Winston who was giving her a strange look and shaking his head. "I'm. Yeah. I'm just going to go and uh...get it."

She jumped off the couch, bending to place the papers on the coffee table, and running for the hallway as Nick shouted. "JESS!"

Winston started laughing. "That woman is flat out crazy sometimes."

Nick shook his head. "That was weird. Think I should go talk to her?"

"I don't know man. Did you do something? She looked like she was going to have a heart attack. Did you piss her off or something?"

"I have no idea." He stood up. "Be right back."

Jess had taken her sweater off and was frantically fanning herself, sitting on her bed. _DAMN IT. This was supposed to be Nick and Winston's "guys" afternoon. She was NOT going to be the crazy girlfriend to ruin it. _Just then she heard a gentle knock as Nick came through the door.

"Hey sweetheart, you sure you're okay in here?"

Jess let out a breath and grabbed her hair twisting it behind her neck. "Yeah, um. Sorry. You just enjoy your game. I promised not to interrupt."

Nick frowned. He put his beer on the desk and walked over to the bed. "You're really red, are you feeling okay? Want to lie down?"

"Me? oh, this?" She pointed to her face, wiping her hand across her forehead. "Yeah, I just took my sweater off. Hot in here. Too hot." She watched as Nick sat down next to her at the bottom of the bed. _Seriously, had he been working out? His arms looked huge. Really big, and...strong. Like they could just throw her down and... _She watched his hand as he reached out and rubbed her arm.

"I'll get you some water or something, why don't you take a break."

She was breathing heavily now. He started to get up and walk toward the door when she jumped up and blocked the way, kicking the door shut behind her.

"Jess?"

She raked her eyes up and down his body, biting her lips and slowly stepping closer to him. She extended her hands, placing them gently on his shoulders. Slowly moving them down his arms, a small groan came from the back of her throat as her eyes followed the curves of his biceps and the tight clinging of his shirt to his skin. Nick froze, watching the lust in her deep blue eyes.

She moved her hands to the hem of his shirt and glanced up into his eyes. Without moving her stare, she slid her hands under the soft black fabric, pressing gently against his stomach. Pushing him backwards, she pulled the shirt upwards as her hands traveled across his chest. She smiled as she coaxed his arms in the air and tugged the shirt over his head. As the backs of his knees hit the mattress, she laid her right hand firmly in the center of his chest and with a deep breath, shoved him backwards onto the bed. Placing one knee on the bed, then the other, she straddled his lap. He narrowed his eyes at her and smiled as she leaned forward and placing her hands on either side of his head on the bed, pressing firmly onto his growing hardness beneath her. His hands began to move up and down her back, waiting for her to make the next move. Cocking his head to the side, he let out a laugh.

"Couldn't even resist me for one afternoon, huh Jessica?"

She leaned down, her eyes inches from his as she smiled innocently. "I don't know what you're talking about, Miller." She sat up and reach around to her left side, unzipping her dress, keeping her eyes fixed on Nick's. She slowly lifted it over her head and threw it to the side, now completely naked aside from her pair of red polka dot panties. "I was just hot and decided to change." She playfully poked at his chest. "You just happened to be laying underneath me."

He narrowed his eyes as he wrapped his arms around her and quickly stood up. As she lifted her legs around his waist she let out a yelp and started to giggle when he spun them around and flipped her down onto the bed, laying on top of her. He bent down and kissed her neck.

She closed her eyes, her fingers tangling in his hair. "I'm sorry, I know you wanted this to be a guys night..."

He groaned against her neck and pulled back, gritting his teeth as his eyes stared into hers fiercely. "You make that pretty hard when you strip naked on top of me."

She pulled her hands to her chest and batted her eyes. "Who, me?"

He laughed as he aggressively pressed his lips to hers. Her nails lightly scratched him as her fingers traveled down his back and snaked around to his belt, undoing his pants. Pushing them down over his hips, he stomped his feet and stepped out of them, crawling on top of her.

Gasping for air as he kissed her neck, she muttered. "Winston's going to wonder what's taking you so long..."

He gently bit her ear as he slid them up the bed so he could reach the nightstand. "I'll be done in about ten seconds at the rate we're going."

She laughed breathlessly. "At least give me twenty..."


	23. Movin' on up

**I know, it's been awhile. Admittedly, the Emmy nominations kind of killed my mojo, but I think I'm over it now. ;-) I decided to sit down and try to finish all the chapters I had started, so I should be posting a few here right in a row. **

**Once again, I'd also like to thank everyone for all the great feedback and reviews. I know I haven't had the chance to personally message many people, but I've really enjoyed hearing from everyone.**

**There are far too many weeks left in this hiatus for my taste, so let's keep the fan fic going, shall we?**

* * *

Nick walked into the loft around 3 am, exhausted from a long night at the bar, but too excited about the news he had to share with Jess to even think about going to bed. He was about to head to Jess' room to say goodnight to her, when he glanced over at the couch. He walked over and smiled as he saw Jess propped up in the corner of the couches, fast asleep. She was wearing his favorite red and gray flannel shirt and pair of black pajama pants. His heart always swelled seeing her wear his shirt, and this time was no exception. He gently sat down next to her and leaned against the back of the couch. Staring at her, he reached out and gingerly touched a curl laying softly on her cheek. She let out a small moan and smiled in her sleep. Scooting closer, his face directly in front of hers, he leaned forward and kissed her forehead, his lips barely grazing her skin.

Sighing in her sleep, Jess mumbled, "Nick..."

Nick frowned, his body frozen in place. _God, I miss you. _

The past week, they had barely seen each other. Jess was so busy finishing things at school before the Thanksgiving holiday next week, that she barely made it home in time for him to give her a quick kiss before he left for the bar. Then, by the time he arrived home, he couldn't possibly expect her to be up waiting for him, when a mere 3 hours from now, she would be waking up to get ready for her day at school.

He missed her. He missed spending time with her more than he could have ever imagined.

But everything was about to change. He had amazing news to share with her, and he was anxiously awaiting the chance to tell her tomorrow morning.

Nick stood up and bent to pick Jess up in his arms. Her body fell limply against his chest as he lifted her into his arms and he shook his head. Her eyes fluttered momentarily, looking into his brown eyes just before she tightened her arms around his neck and snuggled into his shoulder. "You're home."

Nick kissed the top of her head and whispered, "Shhh, go back to sleep, it's almost morning."

He felt the hum of her "hmmmm" vibrate against his skin as he walked her to their bed and gently laid her down. Tucking her into bed, he knelt down to kiss her cheek. "Love ya, Jess." He changed into sweats and a t-shirt as quickly and quietly as possible, before heading back out to the couch. There was no way he could fall asleep right now. He sat down on the couch and pulled out his phone. She would never think to do it, but he wanted her to wake him up before she left for work tomorrow to share his news with her.

_I miss you. Wake me up before you leave. Love you._

After hitting "send", he heard the faint beep from her room, and nodded satisfactorily before laying his phone on the coffee table and flipping on the tv.

* * *

Jess felt the warm sun shining through her window as she slowly opened her eyes. Stretching, she rolled over to reach for Nick, but he wasn't next to her. She sat up and frowned as she saw that his side of the bed hadn't been slept in. _He DID come home last night, didn't he? _She vaguely remembered him carrying her into bed, but she shook her head and rubbed her eyes wondering if she was remembering another night. They had both been so busy lately, that she had barely seen him. She sighed loudly, thinking about how much she missed seeing him. She reached for her phone, and saw a text from Nick. She smiled and put the phone back on the nightstand, throwing back the covers and jumping out of bed toward the door. Coming around the corner into the living room, she saw him curled up on the couch with the tv still turned on.

Quickly she made her way across the room, and shut off the tv as she sat down on the floor in front of him. Stroking his hair, she placed a firm kiss on his lips.

"Hmmm," He moaned as he twisted onto his side, his eyes closed and his arms reaching out towards her.

Jess lifted her head and smiled. "Morning stranger." He smiled and stretched his arms, wrapping them around her. "What time did you get in?"

Nick slowly opened his eyes, his voice gruff. "Three."

Jess frowned and then gave him another quick kiss. "Why so late? I hate our schedules."

He rubbed his eyes and moaned as he slowly sat up. He shook his head vigorously before grabbing her hands to pull her onto the couch next to him. "Hey, I know, I'm sorry."

Flopping onto the couch, she curled her legs underneath her and playfully ran her left hand across his chest. She leaned her head against her other hand on the back of the couch. "I know it's not your fault. I just miss you."

Nick smiled as he snapped out of his groggy half-awake state, his eyes widening. "Hey listen. I have something to tell you."

Jess noticed the excitement in his voice as his eyes sparkled. "What?" She stared at him intently, a curious look spreading across her face. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything is..." He smiled and took a deep breath, before blurting out. "Shane is leaving." He noticed her expression perk up, knowing that after all this time, she was still uneasy about times when Shane was at work with him.

"Really?" Jess tried to hide her enthusiasm, but her response still came out with an excited edge to it.

Nick nodded, a huge smile spreading across his face. "Guess who is the new manager?"

It took a moment for Jess to realize what he was saying and she jerked her body to an upright position on the couch as she slapped her hands onto his leg. "It's not..." Her intonation was hopeful as a smile spread across her face.

Nick grabbed her hands, shaking them fiercely. "Me, Jess. It's ME. I'm actually going to be in CHARGE of something. Crazy, right?"

Jess felt tears well in her eyes as she lurched forward, throwing her arms around his neck and almost knocking him backwards. She squealed loudly in his ear. "Oh my God, I'm so proud of you! I had no idea." She squeezed her eyes shut, unable to stop smiling. "This means...wait, what does this mean?!"

He laughed as he pulled her back and looked into her eyes. "It means, Jessica, that we'll be working the same hours now." He shrugged his shoulders, still smiling as she watched him intently. "Well, I mean, mostly. I still might have to take some night shifts here or there, but..."

Before he could finish, she threw her arms around his neck again, squeezing hard. "Nick, this is AMAZING. Did you know this was happening?!"

He took a deep breath as she slowly let go of his neck, trailing her hands down his chest and grabbing his hands. "Well, we knew Shane was leaving soon, but I thought they would bring someone new in." Her eyes encouraged him to continue. "I um, I asked if they'd consider me for manager a few weeks ago and they interviewed me on Monday."

Her face fell. "Nick, it's Friday. Why didn't you tell me?"

He winced slightly, seeing the hurt look on her face. "Jess, I...I'm sorry. I didn't want to get your hopes up. Or well...MY hopes up, I guess." He hesitantly glanced back up at her face and she slowly smiled.

"Nick, you know you don't have to worry about that. I wish you would trust me." She squeezed his hands and raised her eyebrows. She saw the regret in his eyes and didn't want to ruin what was clearly a very important moment for him. She leaned in to kiss him and smiled. "You're going to be a really great manager."

He squinted his eyes and tilted his head, his voice sounding hesitant. "You think so?"

Her eyes softened, seeing how nervous and unsure of himself he suddenly was. "Nick, you can totally do this." He let out a breath that he wasn't aware he was holding and smiled. "When do you start?"

He started to relax a little and leaned back into the couch, Jess once again curling her legs up under her to face him. "I start the new hours after New Year's. They have to hire..." he paused and his eyes got wide. "I mean, well, I guess _I _have to hire someone to replace me."

Jess couldn't help but smile as she placed a hand on either side of his face and leaned close to him. Her eyes were sparkling. "I'm really proud of you. You know that, right?"

He swallowed hard, his voice noticeably quieter. "Thanks, Jess."

Her eyes dropped as she sighed sadly, "I wish I didn't have to go to work today."

"Me either, but hey..." He sat up and placed his hand under her chin. "I almost forgot, I'm off tonight!"

She let out an excited squeal. "Really?! On a friday night?"

He nodded. "Uh huh. So go have a great day," He kissed her gently. "And then we can relax all night."

She closed her eyes and smiled. "Hmmm, that sounds amazing." She kissed his cheek and reluctantly stood up, slowly making her way back to her room to get ready for work. Just as she was about to disappear into the hallway, she turned around and pointed her finger at him, winking. "You better get some sleep today, because I have a lot planned for _you_ tonight!"

* * *

**The next few chapters were really fun to write, so I hope you stick around. :-) Next up is Nick's birthday and the holidays...**


	24. Taking care of you

**Lucky for all of you, it seems I've rediscovered my mojo, because this little addition was completely unexpected today.**

**Enjoy!**

**;-)**

* * *

Nick rushed up the stairs outside of Jess' school two at a time. He knew Jess had a lot of work to finish up at home tonight and he was already over half an hour later than he said he would be. If only his unreliable car hadn't broken down this morning. Without a second thought, Jess had lent him her car and Schmidt had dropped her off this morning at school on the way to his office. Now he felt terrible for being so late. Opening the doors to the building, he followed the arrows to the left that directed him to the auditorium. He knew Jess had been helping them prepare for the holiday concert in a few weeks, and as he rounded the corner, he heard her unmistakable laughter reverberating through the halls. _God, he loved that sound._

Once he reached his destination though, his heart dropped into his stomach, as he stopped dead in his tracks in the doorway. Jess was sitting on the top step of the risers that had been set up directly in front of the stage. Leaning far too casually in the spot next to her was a man a little older than they were, with brown and gray hair. He moved closer to her and placed a hand on her knee as she threw back her head and laughed.

He felt his blood boiling as he froze in place, staring straight ahead at them. A few seconds later, Jess looked up at him and broke into a huge grin. "NICK!" She waved at him, scooting forward and making her way down the risers. He couldn't help but notice how annoyed the other man seemed to be at the interruption. Nick relaxed slightly when she gave him a quick hug, kissing him on the lips. "I almost thought you forgot!" She smiled up at him and he shook his head.

"I'm really sorry, Jess." He glanced over at the man as he walked toward them. Looking back at Jess, he smiled. "I uh, I had to stay and finish a few things."

She shrugged and motioned toward the mysterious man as he stopped to face Nick. He was dressed in an outfit he was used to seeing on Schmidt, dark pants with a crisp white shirt and blue tie. The man narrowed his eyes slightly before turning to smile at Jess as she introduced them. "Nick, this is Graham Porter. He's the father of one of my students." _Graham? What kind of a name was that? _He felt a knot in his throat as his thoughts immediately drifted back to another parent of one of Jess' students, Russell.

Nick reached out to shake his hand and nodded, clearing his throat. "Nice to meet you."

Jess hugged Nick's arm. "Mr. Porter, this is my boyfriend, Nick Miller."

Nick noticed Graham look him up and down as he firmly grasped his hand. "Just keeping Ms. Day company while she waited for you." _Okay. Was he just imagining how much of an ass this guy was being?_

"Yeah, sorry about that." Nick turned to Jess again and shrugged. "Jess was nice enough to lend me her car this morning."

Graham let out a smug laugh. "Car troubles, huh?"

Nick felt his blood pressure rising. "It happens, man." Almost on instinct, he dropped his arm behind her back, pulling her close to him. Jess, completely oblivious to any tension between the men, just looked up at him and smiled. "So, what were you doing here?" Nick casually glanced around. "Did you come to pick up your daughter?"

Graham nodded. "Son, actually. And yes, I did."

"Mr. Porter, ..." She was quickly interrupted.

"Please Jessica, it's Graham, remember..."

Jess shifted uncomfortably. "Um, right...well, Mr...Graham, donated a lot of the money used to put on this year's concert."

_Jessica? Did this man really just call her JESSICA?_

Nick nodded weakly. "Well, that's really great. So, Jessica," He turned towards her and winced slightly, hoping she wouldn't notice how much he just over-emphasized her name. She tilted her head with a questioning look on her face, indicating that she had most definitely noticed. "We really should get home." He turned to Graham, "OUR home. Because we live together." He felt Jess' body go rigid and bit his lip. Why did he just feel the need to blurt out that they lived together? Jess was going to think he was insane._  
_

After glancing back at Graham, Nick took a little satisfaction in the fact that he seemed surprised at what he had just heard.

"Well, it was nice to meet you...Nick?" His smug smile as he pretended to forget Nick's name wasn't lost on him. "And, Jessica, I'll see you again soon I hope?"

Jess nodded. "Thanks again for all your help."

As he walked past them, he reached out and squeezed Jess' shoulder, taking her by surprise. "Not a problem at all." He let go of her shoulder as she stepped back and he pointed towards Nick. "Make sure you take care of that car of yours. Wouldn't want this beautiful lady to get stranded again, now would we." He winked at both of them and walked toward the back of the auditorium. Nick continued to glare at him until he disappeared outside.

Nick closed his eyes and took a deep breath, hoping to calm himself down before he said anything stupid. Unfortunately, Jess beat him to it.

Jess turned to him and shrugged his arm off of her. "What the hell was that?"

"What?" He scoffed.

"You know _exactly_ what I'm talking about, Nick Miller." She crossed her arms in front of her, her nostrils flared.

Nick tried to remain calm, but felt his voice getting louder. "ME?! You're asking _me_ what's wrong?" She nodded, eyes widening for him to continue. "Why is the father of one of your students calling you _Jessica_ like that, huh?"

She shook her head, completely confused. "Nick, what are you..."

"Is that how _all_ the dads act around you?"

Jess took a step closer to him, feeling the anger rising. "Just WHAT are you implying right now?"

Nick rolled his eyes. "I'm not IMPLYING anything. He was out of line, why didn't you say something to him?"

"Nick, he didn't do anything wrong."

"He didn't...you don't think that..." Nick groaned. "God, Jessica!"

She slapped her arms at her sides in frustration. "You're not making any sense! WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!"

Nick shook his head, forcing a deep breath out of his lungs. "Nothing. Just forget it." He took a step past her to leave. "Let's just go home."

"Wait," She grabbed his arm and pulled him back around to face her, seeing the hurt in his eyes. She sighed, shaking her head. "What's this really about?"

Nick turned around to face her, looking at the ground. "It's fine." He looked back up at her. "Can we just go?"

Jess stepped forward to grab his hands. "He was waiting for his son, Nick. He saw me in here cleaning up and just wanted to say hi."

"But he,..." Nick squeezed her hands, his face intense. "I just don't like to see you put yourself in situations where you could get hurt."

"Hurt?" Her head snapped back, baffled.

"Oh, come on, Jess. That guy was a total sleaze. You were in here ALONE with him, what if..." He stopped himself. He knew he was being ridiculous, but he didn't care. He knew how naive and trusting she could be sometimes, and it scared him to find her in these situations where something really awful could happen.

Jess took a deep breath, the frustration evident in her tone. "Nick, I know you're just saying this because you care about me, but I'm FINE. You have to stop thinking the worst. Don't you trust me?"

Nick's eyes darted towards hers, stunned. "Of course I do, Jess. It's not about that. It's guys like _him_ that I don't trust, it's not you." He waited in silence, watching her take a deep breath. She closed her eyes for a moment, before opening them and looking straight into his.

"Look," She pressed against him and slid her hands up his chest to the back of his neck. Instinctively his arms wrapped around her waist. "I know that you worry about me, and I think it's really sweet. But you have to trust me, okay? I can take care of myself."

"I know you can, it's just," A small smile cracked across his lips. "Taking care of you is the one thing that I know I'm good at. And," He swallowed as his voice grew quiet. "I really like knowing that I can."

She smiled slyly at him, leaning closer. "Just, _like_?"

His fingered trailed along her lower back as he pulled her closer. He couldn't help but laugh at her obvious ploy to hear him gush over her, which admittedly, he was all too happy to oblige. "Okay, _love_." She lifted her heels off the floor to stand taller as she pressed her lips to his. He smiled against her lips, whispering. "I love taking care of you."

She melted into his embrace, closing her eyes and losing herself in their kiss. After a moment, she remembered where they were and she leaned back slowly, her eyes fluttered opened. He moaned in protest as his eyes shot open.

"He really did call me Jessica, didn't he?"

Nick rolled his eyes, pursing his lips. "You mean you didn't notice? Who does that with their kid's teacher?"

Sighing, she shrugged her shoulders. "If I'm being totally honest, he _was_ kind of a douchebag."

He raised his eyebrows. "Wait, did he do something?"

"NO!" She shook her head. "No, of course not. But, well," She let out a small giggle. "I think maybe you're rubbing off on me or something," She watched a smug smile come across his face. "Because he WAS starting to make me uncomfortable. I just couldn't put my finger on WHY."

"See, I KNEW IT!" Nick could feel himself getting angry.

She slapped his chest with her hands. "Oh, stop it. I'm not saying this to get you all worked up." He took a deep breath and furrowed his brow. "But, it probably wasn't a good idea to be here with him by myself in an empty building."

Nick gave her a knowing look. "Well, I'm glad I had to borrow your car today, then." She laughed. "Just promise me you'll pay more attention to this stuff, okay?" He leaned down to kiss her. "Because I don't think you know how irresistible you really are."

Jess felt her cheeks flush. "Nick..."

He smiled, wrapping an arm around her waist and guiding her toward the door. "Come on, _Jessica." _He turned to make a face at her as he mimicked the overemphasized way Graham had said her name. "Let's go home."

She laughed and bumped her shoulder into his arm. "You're such a clown!"


	25. Nick's Birthday, part 1

**How about that photo shoot video?! I can't even handle all the Nick and Jess cuteness in that one minute, can you imagine this season? Anyway...I've decided to split this chapter into two, because it ended up being really long, and I wanted to get some of it posted today. I needed Nick's birthday to kind of set up the next part of the story, and as Joyful-Sound can hint at, the next chapter after this birthday celebration was probably the most fun to write so far. ;-)**

**Thank you again for all the amazing feedback and suggestions. Don't worry, there are plenty more one shots left in me before this hiatus is over.**

* * *

Jess looked nervously down the hall toward her room as she knocked on Winston's door. In a raspy whisper, she called his name. "Wiiiiiiinston."

A few seconds later, the door opened as a sleepy Winston squinted in the light and rubbed his eyes. "What is it, Jess?"

"I'm sorry. I need help carrying Nick's present upstairs." She turned to look down the hall toward her door once more. "Can you help me?"

He shook his head. "Don't you want to wait until he leaves for work?"

She sighed, glancing back at Winston. "I can't. He's borrowing my car again. We have to get it out NOW. He's has to go in early today, he's going to wake up at any minute. Please?"

Winston sighed. "Hold on." He grabbed a sweatshirt from the end of his bed and followed Jess down the hall and out of the apartment. Hitting the button to close the elevator door, he crossed his arms and turned to Jess. "So what am I carrying?"

"A desk from Ikea."

He raised his eyebrows as she smiled. "You bought him a desk. As in, a piece of FURNITURE?!"

Jess nervously bit her lip, a frown coming across her face. "Wait, don't you think he'll like it?"

"Well, yeah. I guess he never actually had one. But..." He ran his hand across the back of his neck and winced. "I just...furniture?"

Jess suddenly felt self-conscious. "I had such a hard time coming up with something special. It's a really crappy present, isn't it? Maybe I can return it and..."

The elevator made a soft dinging sound as the doors opened. "Hey, no Jess." He shrugged his shoulders. "It's actually...I think he'll really like it. He's had that dang door balanced on sawhorses since we moved in."

Jess slowly started to smile as they made their way to her car, which she had pulled up next to the front entrance. She opened the hatch and Winston helped grab the box.

"What made you pick this thing out anyway?"

She balanced her end on her thigh as she reached up to close the hatch. "I don't know. He seems to like using mine, so I thought he'd want something nicer for himself." They walked back into the building and got in the elevator, lowering the box to the floor once inside.

Winston shook his head and let out a laugh. "You know, Jess, he's really lucky to have you."

Jess smiled. "That's sweet Winston. I hope he doesn't think it's a weird present."

Winston scratched his head and pointed at her. "So wait, do you know how to put this thing together?"

"Weeeeellll." She closed one eye and shrugged her shoulder. "Not exactly. But he bought me all those tools, so I thought he could show me how to use them all while I put it together for him. That's not dumb, right?"

"I don't know. He's not the most patient teacher, I don't wanna be around for that..."

Jess just shook her head as they reached the fourth floor. The elevator opened and they picked up the box again, making their way back into the loft and down the hall to Winston's room.

Jess started toward the door to leave, then turned around. "Okay, so you have to make sure he stays out of your room until I can give it to him later. When he leaves I'll come in here and wrap it, but you can't let him in here this morning, deal?"

"You got it."

* * *

Jess had just thrown her coat off and slipped back into her robe when Nick started to stir in her bed. She quickly climbed in next to him as he rolled over. He blinked his eyes opening sleepily and reached out his arms.

She kissed his cheek as he pulled her close. "Happy Birthday!"

"Geez, why are you so cold?" He pulled his head back and frowned.

"Yeah, um. Oh right, I just went to the bathroom."

He closed his eyes and snuggled into her. "Where? Canada?"

She rolled her eyes before relaxing her head into his neck. "Just warm me up, Miller."

A long, drawn out moan escaped from his lips as he squeezed her tightly and rubbed his hand up and down her arm. They laid in silence for a few minutes before Jess wriggled free and leaned back on her pillow. "Don't you have to go in early today?"

He grumbled and pulled her close again. "I don't wanna. It's my birthday."

She let out a small laugh and swatted his chest. "No way you're falling back to sleep, Mister."

"Just five more minutes, mom."

Jess started to laugh and reached out to poke his stomach. He tried hard to ignore her, but his torso bucked against her attempts to tickle him and he started to laugh. Grabbing her hands, he opened one eye and squinted at her. "You're so annoying!"

She sat up and pushed his shoulders so he was on his back. Hovering over him, she gave him a kiss. "You love it."

Nick smiled and opened his eyes, looking straight at Jess as he slapped the sides of his face. "Okay, okay. Get off me woman, so I can go take a shower."

Grabbing his hands, she pulled him to a seated position before throwing her arms around his neck and giving him a hug. "Happy Birthday, Nick."

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her across his lap, pressing a firm kiss to her lips. Their kisses intensified and Jess pulled back, laughing. She raised an eyebrow as her eyes shifted downward, then back to Nick's. "Quite the birthday salute you've got going on there..."

Nick just laughed as he gave her another kiss. "Like you've ever complained..."

She slid off his lap and gave him a little shove. "Go get ready, you clown."

Rubbing his face, Nick stood up and made his way to the bathroom. Jess waited to hear the water turn on before darting down the hall towards Winston's room. She pushed the box down the hall as fast as she could, and made it as present-like as possible by wrapping a sheet around the large box and tying it in place with a large piece of ribbon. She was just finishing it up, when the door opened and Nick walked in still wet with a towel wrapped around his waist. She jumped up off the floor and gestured toward the box.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY NICK!"

He had a surprised look on his face as she launched herself into him and threw her arms around his wet shoulders.

"Where were you hiding that?!"

She laughed and grabbed his hand, pulling him toward the present. "Winston let me hide it in his room this morning." Jess stared at him expectantly and then started to jump up down. "Well, aren't you going to open it?!"

Nick started laughing as she pulled on his arm. "I'd hate to see you on Christmas morning as a kid, Jess."

She rolled her eyes. "Shut up Nick, and open your present!"

Shaking his head he untied the ribbon, the sheet falling to the floor around the box. He smiled when he saw the picture.

"Do you see, it's part of the Malm collection? Your favorite, right?!" She gestured excitedly toward the box, waiting expectantly for his reaction. She tilted her head. "...Nick?"

"Jess this is..." His eyes grew wide and he choked on his words. "This is amazing. You didn't have to do this."

"I wanted to. You don't have that much that fits in here and I thought..." She started to frown, as he looked over at her. He shook his head and smiled, taking a step towards her and grabbing her around the waist into a hug.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I love it. Thank you." He smiled sincerely at her before placing a kiss on her lips.

"So, I was thinking...maybe you could show me how to put it together with my new tools?"

Nick laughed. "Are you sure you're ready to learn my mad skills?"

"Absolutely!" She slapped his chest. "But you can't actually _do it_ for me, you just have to show me. Deal?"

"Deal." He nodded as she ran her hands up and down his naked chest.

"Because I want it to be a _finished_ present for you when I'm done."

He was distracted by her hands and nodded, mumbling. "Anything you say..."

She glanced up at him and raised her eyebrows. "Don't you have to leave for work soon?"

"Yeah." He pulled her closer. "Kinda sucks, but at least I can spend the night with ya."

"So, would you be mad if we went _back_ to the bar to celebrate? I thought it might be nice to get everyone together."

"Jess..."

"Please, Nick. I want this to be a great birthday." She slid her hands up around his neck.

"It already is, Jess. The present is amazing, and I just want to spend time with my beautiful girlfriend." He gave her a quick kiss.

"That's sweet, but you don't want to hurt Schmidt and Winston's feelings do you? They've both been so depressed lately, I think they're really excited."

He sighed, but gave her a smile. "Okay, Jess, if it'll make you happy."

She let out a small squeal and dropped her arms. "So dinner here and then dance the night away?"

"Wait, who said anything about DANCING?!" She quickly jumped away and ran for the door. "JESSICA..."


	26. Nick's Birthday, part 2

It was late in the afternoon and Jess was at the kitchen island trying to quickly put the finishing touches on the birthday cake she had baked for Nick earlier in the day. She was deep in thought, humming, when Schmidt walked past her carrying a laundry basket.

"Jessica, as his girlfriend, it's YOUR job to discuss clothing and laundry with Nick."

Jess straightened up, holding an icing bag in her hand. "Not this again..."

Schmidt nodded, as he disappeared into his room. "Sometimes things just need to be said, Jessica Day. I thought you were supposed to be a good influence on him and start taking care of this stuff."

"Oh, so you mean DO his laundry for him."

"Clearly, it's necessary. The man has resorted to a completely unacceptable level of hobo."

Jess raised her voice as she walked to the end of the counter closest to his room. "You have GOT to be kidding me. He's a big boy, he knows how to use a washing machine."

A few seconds later, Schmidt reappeared at the counter. "Well can you at least talk to him about his wardrobe?"

She grimaced and leaned back over the counter to finish adding Nick's name to the cake. "What's wrong with his wardrobe, Schmidt!"

Winston, who had been sitting in front of the TV, stood up and walked around the back of the couch toward a chair at the table. "So I take it you HAVEN'T seen what he's wearing today?"

"He was napping in his room to have some quiet before I came out here with you two clowns." She put down the icing back and spun the cake, smiling at her finished work. She glanced at Schmidt and nodded toward the cake. "Why?"

Schmidt, after giving a small nod of approval for the cake, replied. "OH. Just wait."

"Schmidt, do you always have to be so over dramatic about everything?" She gently lifted the cake into the pastry box she had bought and turned around to put it next to the stove so Nick wouldn't see it yet. "His clothes are just _fine_."

Both Schmidt and Winston let out a laugh. Winston pointed toward the hallway and leaned back on his chair. "Well, what do ya know, here he comes now."

Jess walked out of the kitchen and stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Nick standing behind the couch awkwardly gyrating his hips. He was wearing Walt's hideous orange tracksuit that his mom hand sent to him. "Oh my God." Muttering under her breath, Jess raised her eyebrows, "I thought that was officially banished. WE HAD A LOFT VOTE AND EVERYTHING, MILLER!"

Nick smiled and spun around, slapping his thighs and spreading his arms to the side. "You can't say anything..." He held up his hands as guns. "'cause it's my birthday."

Wincing and crossing her arms over her chest, Jess shook her head. "Nick, that's not a thing."

He nodded. "Well, it should be."

She motioned up and down with her hand. "Uh...What do we have going on here?"

Nick wiggled his eyebrows and winked at her. "A whole lotta sexy, that's what."

Winston started laughing. "At least if there's a fire, we can use it to wave down a fireman from the window."

Schmidt walked toward Jess and sat down on a stool at the front of the counter. "You mean so we can turn around and burn it."

Winston pointed at Nick. "I bet he could _start _the fire with that thing. It's like flint and kindling all wrapped into one."

"Hey I know," Jess stepped backwards and sat down on the corner stool, next to Schmidt. "We could put it in one of our cars as an emergency traffic cone!"

Nick took a few steps toward them, stroking the front of the jacket. "You all can just shut up, because this is quality material. They don't make things like they used to."

As Nick stepped closer to Jess, she pulled her hands back, trying to avoid touching him and scrunched up her nose. "Thank God." Nick gave her a little pout as he leaned on the counter behind her and gave her a kiss on the cheek, wiggling his eyebrows and smiling at her. She let out a small laugh. "Nick, we're not taking you out in that getup, it was bad enough when Winston had to be seen with you the last time."

As he stood up again next to her stool, he grabbed her waist and pulled her towards him. "Hey, I thought you were supposed to be on MY side now!"

She slapped his arms and spun around slightly, leaning her back against his chest as he tightened his grip around her waist. "Oh, is that right? I think this time I just want to be on the side that convinces you to put on something NOT made before 1975."

"I'm offended, Jessica. I thought you'd appreciate my vintage style."

Jess just laughed, pulling away from his grasp and spinning on the stool to face him. "I'm sorry Nick, but neon can't qualify as _vintage. It just can't._"

Nick bent down and gave her a quick kiss before making his way around the counter to the fridge. He opened a can of soda and leaned on the edge. "So what's on the agenda for tonight in honor of me turning 32?"

Schmidt leaned against the counter behind him. "Whatever it is, we're cancelling it until you change. I don't care if it's your birthday or not."

Nick shrugged, taking a sip from the can, leaning his elbows on the counter. "You don't know anything. I'm thinking of wearing this to my wedding."

Winston, gasped loudly as he barely managed to swallow the drink in his mouth. "Where _exactly_ are you planning on getting married?"

Jess pointed at him, crossing her legs on the stool. "The more important question might be _who_ would marry you in that." She gave him a little smirk.

Nick put his drink down. "Come on Jess, are you telling me you wouldn't want to walk down the aisle towards all THIS?!" He motioned his hands up and down his body, nodding his head and raising his eyebrows.

Schmidt scoffed. "She could always just wear that hideous Elvis costume and then you'd be equally terrible."

Jess just shook her head, pointing to herself and motioning her hands in a circle above her head. "MY wedding is going to be the epitome of class. No neon polyester allowed."

Schmidt nodded. "Well at least _someone_ around here seems to have been paying attention to me all this time!"

Winston pointed at her and laughed. "You're one of those crazy girls that's had her wedding planned since she was like 5, aren't you?"

Jess crossed her arms over her chest, contemplating the question and leaning back on the counter. "Well, maybe not _five_...But I've had a few ideas swirling around in this 'ol head of mine."

Nick crossed his arms, intrigued. "Yeah, like what?"

Jess smiled at him. "Well, for starters," She glared at first at Winston and then Schmidt. "It wouldn't involve Cotton Eyed Joe or potentially rabid badgers."

Schmidt rolled his eyes and pointed at Winston. "Hey, the badger was _his_ idea, not mine. I don't know why I still get blamed for that."

Jess just started laughing as Nick stared at her silently.

* * *

Jess stood in the doorway of her room, leaning on the frame. "Are you really that low on clothes? Maybe Schmidt was right about me having another discussion with you about laundry..."

He laughed, walking towards her. "No, I just wanted to see what you guys would say. And seriously, this thing is so frickin' comfortable!"

Stepping into the room, she stood in front of him and punched his arm. "You know, I can help you pick out something else..."

"Oh, is that right? So you won't be seen with your boyfriend, on his birthday, all because of this stunning outfit?"

She reached out and grabbed the sides of the jacket, pulling him close. "Well, I never said I wouldn't be _seen_ with you. I'm only interested in all that hotness underneath anyway." She winked at him.

"Oh I get it. You want me for my body?" She tilted her shoulder under her chin and gave him a seductive smile, gently biting her lip. He smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, I'm totally fine with that."

She reached up and tussled his hair. "You can wear whatever you want, as long as I'm with ya."

"So you DO find me irresistibly adorable."

"I'm at about 50% adorable, 50% crazy person." He frowned and gave her his puppy dog eyes, letting out a whimper. "Ok, maybe 75% adorable" He smiled and gave her a kiss, raising his eyebrows. "90%?" His fingers slid from her waist, to her lower back, pulling her close. She let out a giggle and snaked her arms around his neck. "Okay. You're only _slightly_ weird." She closed one eye. "How about this...I'll let you wear this if you let me sing you Happy Birthday."

He let out a groan, then smiled. "I don't know, you drive a hard bargain, Day."

"Oh, is that right?"

He leaned his forehead against hers, rubbing noses. Her eyes fluttered closed as he looked down at her face for a split second, before pressing his lips to hers. When he pulled away, he watched her eyes open slowly. He whispered softly. "You can sing as much as you want."

She closed her eyes and pressed her cheek to his. "Mmmm, I'm so lucky."

Nick smiled as he started rubbing his chest and face against hers aggressively. She started to laugh. "EWWW, I can feel so much static, I think we're going to combust!"

Nick lowered his voice. "That has nothing to do with the clothes, that's all me babe!" He grabbed her sides and started to tickle her, as she poked at his chest, giggling. They landed in a heap of uncontrollable laughter on the bed when they heard a knock at the door, followed by Schmidt's frustrated voice.

"Will you two hurry up already! Cece might just tolerate sitting next to me tonight now that I've broken up with Elizabeth. Quit pawing at each other and get out here!"

Jess rolled her eyes, as they both looked at each other. After pausing for a few moments and enjoying the silence, they stood up reluctantly. Pulling her hair off her face, she headed towards the closet to change, Nick following her. He shook his head and leaned on the outside wall with his arms crossed. "So do I really have to change?"

Jess pulled off the dress she had been wearing and reached her arm out through the partially closed doorway and patted his cheek. "Whatever the birthday boy wants."

He laughed and walked toward the dresser, opening the top drawer. "Yeah, I think I'd better change."

Inside the closet, Jess smiled smugly, nodding her head. Glancing through her clothes, she choose a short, red, form-fitting dress with short sleeves. She slipped it on, smoothing the fabric over her abdomen and hips. Grabbing a black sweater to wear over top, she exited the closet to a whistling Nick.

"Jessica, you look amazing." Stripped down to his t-shirt and boxer shorts, he grabbed her elbows and pulled her into his lap, sitting down on the bed. She wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled.

"So, I see, you approve."

He kissed her and hugged her waist tightly. "Absolutely." He smiled and leaned back. "Now, what about me? I need to look good next to my smokin' hot girlfriend."

She let out a small laugh and slapped his chest. "Shut up!"

"No, I'm serious. What should I wear? My lady's choice."

She smiled and ran her hands through his hair, her eyes sparkling. "Let's see...how about jeans and a black button down?"

He kissed her cheek and started to stand up. "Now _that_ I can do!"

Another loud knock came on the door as Jess screamed. "Shut up, Schmidt, we're coming!"

Outside the door Schmidt muttered. "Don't even _think_ about sex in there right now. We haven't the time. Now, I'm heading over there, you two better not be far behind!"

Jess rolled her eyes as Nick walked to the closet for his shirt. Standing in front of the dresser, she started to brush her hair when Nick stepped behind her, putting his chin on her shoulder and reaching around her. "'scuse me beautiful." Jess froze for a minute as she caught Nick's eyes in the mirror. He gave her a quizzical look. "You okay?"

Her hair brush paused in midair and she smiled. "Nothing." Her voice got softer as she turned towards him and locked eyes. "I just really like this...sharing."

He kissed her cheek and rubbed his hands along her hips. "Me too, Jess."

* * *

With Schmidt and Winston driving ahead of them to take the cake to the bar for their small celebration, Jess and Nick made their way to the bar in a cab a few minutes behind them. As soon as they stepped out of the cab, Jess grabbed his shoulders and placed her hands over his eyes from behind.

"JESS!" He bent down slightly as she leaned on his shoulders.

"Shh, Nick. It's a surprise!"

He sighed. "Jess, you know I hate surprises."

She rolled her eyes and coaxed him forward. "People always SAY that Nick, but they never really mean it."

He let out a little laugh. "Trust me, Jess. I definitely mean it."

She frowned and spun him around to face her, dropping her hands to her hips. He saw the disappointment in her eyes and reached out to grab her hands. "Look, I'm sorry. I'm not being fair."

She sighed and shook her head. "No, Schmidt and Winston warned me. I just wanted to do something nice and..."

He leaned over and gave her a kiss. "Lead the way, beautiful."

The corners of her mouth turned up and her eyes lit up. "Really?"

He closed his eyes and covered them with his hands. "Surprise the hell out of me, Day."

She jumped up and down, letting out a little squeal. "Yay." Grabbing his waist she led him toward the door. "I promise, it's going to be awesome."

* * *

Once inside the bar, Jess excitedly gave him a hug as their small group of friends yelled surprise and ushered them to a round table near the bar. Winston handed Nick a beer as he slid into the booth, and slapped him on the back.

"Happy birthday, Man!"

Nick smiled and shook his head. "Thanks." He turned to Jess who was still by his side and planted a kiss on her cheek, before pulling her onto the seat next to him. "This is my kind of birthday."

She smiled and hugged his arm, just as Big Bob came up to the table to take their drink orders. Jess motioned around the table. "Drinks are on Schmidt tonight!"

The bar itself was crowded, seeing as it was a Saturday night, but Nick barely noticed. This was the first time he remembered actually enjoying a birthday and he couldn't keep his eyes off of Jess. They had spent the first part of the evening at the table, drinking and laughing with each other, something that hadn't really happened since before Cece's wedding. Slowly, the group left the booth, leaving only Nick and Jess alone at the table.

"So," Jess finished her third glass of wine just before Bob came to replace it with a new one. "Are you having fun?' She reached out to take Nick's hand that had been resting on the table.

He smiled as her fingers curled around his and leaned over to kiss her cheek. "You bet."

Resting her chin on his arm, so looked up at him with a lazy stare. "I love you."

"I love you too, Jess." He leaned down to kiss her, but just as he turned to grab her waist and pull her closer, he heard Schmidt's unmistakable voice behind him.

"Save it for the bedroom, birthday boy."

Nick rolled his eyes and growled. "Shut up, Schmidt."

Schmidt slid into the seat across from them and leaned over towards them. "So, do you think it's a bad time to make a move on Cece?"

Jess rolled her eyes, leaning back in the booth as her hand holding Nick's dropped into her lap. "Not this again..."

"No, Jess. I'm serious. That whole mess with Elizabeth made me realize something." He smiled widely. "I belong with Cece."

"Schmidt..." Nick took a deep breath. "How many times are you going to go back and forth with this? Let her go, man."

Schmidt narrowed his eyes. "I wouldn't expect YOU to understand, _Nicholas." _He motioned between the two of them. "You two can never begin to understand my pain."

"Well maybe," Jess leaned over to take a sip of her wine. "that's because we don't play games with each other's feelings." Jess felt Nick squeeze her hand and she turned to him and smiled.

Scoffing, Schmidt made his way out of the booth. "That's the last time I ask you two fools for advice!"

"Is that a promise?" He yelled after Schmidt, before leaning over to kiss Jess' cheek. "Have I ever told you how sexy it is when you piss Schmidt off and he leaves us alone?"

Jess let out a loud laugh. "Please don't call my conversations with Schmidt, SEXY."

Nick paused for a moment before he grimaced. "Yeah, why did I say that?!"

Reaching out with both her hands, Jess grabbed Nick's face in her hands. Pressing her lips firmly to his, she felt him grab her waist hungrily and moan. As their kiss intensified, Jess bumped her back against the table as he tried to pull her into his lap, and felt something wet on her back. Startled, she slid back into her seat. "OH, geez, Miller you made me get all wet!"

Unable to contain himself, he burst out laughing at her words, as he leaned over to keep kissing her. "That's my kind of present."

Jess smiled against his lips as a laugh escaped her lips. She leaned back and shook her head. "Is that all you can think about?"

His hands tightened around her waist, diving in for another kiss. "When my girlfriend looks this hot?...yes."

Jess paused for only a moment before she kissed him back.

* * *

After a night of loud music and, much to Jess' approval, a lot of dancing, Bob motioned for Jess to come over to the bar. Leaning over, she spoke in Nick's ear, "Wait right here, okay."

"What..."

She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and smiled. Running over to Bob, she stepped behind the bar and bent down. After pulling the cake out of the box and gently placing it on the bar, she signaled Schmidt to bring Nick toward the bar.

Schmidt nodded "Ok, Nick, I've been instructed by the girlfriend that you have to close your eyes."

"Schmidt!"

"Oh, just do it Nick, do you have any idea how excited she is right now? She planned this whole thing weeks ago."

A small smile crept across his face and he nodded. Jess made her way back to Nick and placed her hand on his arm, guiding him to the edge of the bar and hopping up on the stool next to him. She hugged his arm and kissed his cheek. He smiled as she whispered in his ear, "Happy Birthday."

He opened his eyes and found himself in front of a cake with one large candle in the middle, shaped as a thirty-two. He started to lean over to blow it out when Jess pulled him back.

"WAIT! You can't do that yet!" Nick rolled his eyes and smiled at her.

She motioned for everyone to come around. "Ok." She let out a little laugh. "We won't sing," she leaned over and nudged his shoulder. "even though you _did_ promise me I could" she winked, and he just laughed. "BUT, you have to at least make a wish."

His eyes sparkled and he squinted his eyes. "A wish, huh?" He paused, as if in thought and then nodded. "Got it."

"Okay, on the count of three. ONE...TWO...THREE!" She laughed and squeezed his arm as he blew out the candles. Winston and Schmidt both came up from behind him and gave him slap on the back.

"Happy Birthday, Man."

"Our little Nick, turning into such a big boy."

Nick shook his head as Jess leaned her head on his shoulder. She reached out to grab the candle as he kissed the top of her head. Holding it up, she grinned and tilted her head to the side. "You know you want to..."

Nick just smiled. "Is that what I think it is?"

A satisfying smirk came across her face. "Peanut butter frosting. Only the best for Nick Miller."

He took the candle in his hand and licked the icing on the end, laughing. He placed the candle back on the bar and turned to face her, spinning her on the stool and stepping forward to grab her waist. "You're amazing, you know that."

Jess leaned forward to wrap her arms around his waist and lay her head on his chest in a tight hug. "I just wanted you to have a great birthday."

He kissed the top of her head and laid his head on hers. "Want to know what I wished for?"

Jess pulled away and gasped. "Nick, you're not supposed to tell!" She gently swatted his chest, grinning. "Then it won't come true."

He stared straight into her eyes and his voice got quiet. "It already did."

* * *

By the time they made it back to the loft, it was nearly four in the morning. Nick propped up a very tired Jess, as they made their way to their room. Once inside, Jess kicked off her shoes and collapsed onto the bed. As she sprawled out, he did a little dive over her, landing on the other side. She started laughing as she pulled a pillow under her head and he scooted up to face her.

She let out a little sigh and reached out her hand to grab his. She smiled, "So, what did the birthday boy think of his party?"

He squeezed her hand and leaned in for a quick kiss. "I barely noticed, I was just staring at you."

She let go of his hand and swatted his chest. "You're terrible, Miller."

He started laughing and grabbed her hand again, bringing it to his lips to gently kiss the tops of her knuckles. "I had a great time."

She blinked sleepily. "Good. The guys told me it was a bad idea, but I wanted to do something special."

He kissed her forehead. "You did a really great job, Jess." His voice was quieter. "Thank you."

She scooted closer to him, so she could nuzzle her head under his chin. "You're welcome. You deserve it."

They were silent for a few minutes, as Nick realized they were both starting to doze off. "Hey, sweetie?"

She hummed lazily, eyes closed. "hmmm?"

He gently nudged her, her eyes not budging. "You have to take your contacts out."

She groaned a little, so incredibly sleepy from all the wine and dancing. "I'll be fine...so tired."

Nick let out a small laugh, rubbing her arm and kissing her forehead. "You're too cute."

A weak smile came across her face, as a small, indecipherable noise escaped her lips. He felt her exposed arms shiver as he ran his hand along her soft skin. He sat up slowly and tried to momentarily shake the sleepiness from his own head. He slid down the bed and stood up. Leaning over, he slowly unzipped her red dress and shimmied it down her body, carefully laying it over her desk chair. He pulled off her tights and smiled as her limp body seemed to just melt into the mattress. Lifting her shoulders, he pulled the covers down underneath her body, and tucked her in. He quickly undressed down to his boxers and slipped under the covers on his side of the bed. Pushing close to her, he turned onto his back and grabbed her hand, gently coaxing her to roll towards her. As if on cue, she smiled in her sleep and threw her arm over his waist, snuggling into his chest with a lazy "I love you."

Sliding his arm under her neck, he pulled her even closer, kissing the top of her head before closing his eyes. He mumbled softly as he drifted to sleep, "Definitely got my wish."


	27. Assembly required

**Just to be safe, I will put it out there that this chapter may contain content that could be interpreted as "suggestive" (aka M rating material). Personally, I think it's hilarious, but we'll play it safe. ;-) **

**Remember the chapter where Jess was turned on by Nick's fooball commentary? Is there something that Jess does that is inexplicably sexy? Hmm...I wonder.**

* * *

Jess stood over Nick as he knelt on the floor at the end of her bed. He ripped open the cardboard box with pieces to a desk inside, the birthday present she bought him a few days ago. She nervously played with the drawstrings of Nick's navy blue hoodie that she was currently wearing. Nick pulled the top off the box and threw it to the side, kneeling down to grab the directions and handing them up to Jess.

"Here ya go, woman."

Jess smiled, taking them in her hands and flipping through them. "So, this is it, huh?"

Nick stood up. "Are you sure you don't want my help, Jess. I've put together tons of this stuff."

She shook her head. "No, I really want to put this together _for_ you, because then it's more like a real present."

Nick sighed. "Fine. But I'll at least stay in here to show you how to use the new tools."

"Ok, seriously Nick. I am _going_ to do this by myself. So you're not allowed to just take over, got it?"

"You got it." He held up his hands in defeat and let out a little laugh. Sliding past her, he jumped up onto the bed and sat down with his laptop. "I'm just going to lay up here and let you do your thing."

She smiled smugly at him as she started pulling pieces out of the box, laying them carefully on the bed and the floor by the door to sort them. She opened the directions and arranged the first pieces in front of her on the floor at the end of the bed. Standing over them and placing her hand on her hip, she read through the directions as she nervously chewed on the hoodie string.

Nick looked up, only to notice her tongue curling around the discolored string of his hoodie as her soft red lips gently sucked inward. Shaking his head, he blinked hard. "So Jess, you want to get all the pegs and screws in the holes first, before you try to put the pieces together."

She pursed her lips as the string fell to her chest. "Nick, that's not what the directions say yet. Let me read them!"

"Screw the directions, Jess. I know what i'm doing."

She rolled her eyes as she slapped the directions to her side. "What did I just tell you, you clown!" Nick just flinched and kept his mouth shut, as she opened a bag of screws and started putting them in the correct holes. Nick shook his head trying to ignore the tiny groans escaping her lips as she pressed each one into the wood. When she got to the last one, she stopped. "Hey, Nick?"

Nick glanced up. "Yeah?"

She frowned, a confused look on her face. "So, I think this screw is supposed to fit in here, but there's no hole."

He scooted to the end of the bed and onto the floor, sitting cross leg next to her. "Lemme see." Reaching out for the directions, he glanced between the paper and the board. Nodding, he pointed to her tool bag. "Ok, we just need to drill the hole a little bigger. Hand me your bag and I'll show you." She slid her tool bag across the carpet to him, and he pulled out the drill and a tiny case. Opening the case of drill bits, he held up one and leaned over. "See, this is the size right there, just a little smaller than the screw." She leaned over and looked to where his finger was pointing. He sucked in a quick breath, as her hair grazed his cheek and he could smell her strawberry shampoo.

"So I push it in like this?" She popped the drill bit into the end and glanced up at him.

His eyes drifted to her lip as she bit it gently, then quickly back up to her eyes as he swallowed. "Right." He blinked twice before he reached down to grab the wood.

Jess accidentally pushed the button before the bit was in the hole and laughed. "Wow, it slips right out if you jam it in there too fast."

Nick just looked at her with a blank expression. "What?"

"The bit. It sure pops out fast if you put it in there while it's spinning."

He cleared his throat. "Um, ...right."

Jess stuck her tongue out with a deep moan as she tried the drill a second time. Satisfied with her work, she flipped the drill switch to "off" and handed it to Nick. "Thanks."

"No problem." He got out of her way to give her space, taking a seat back up on the bed. When he turned around, he quickly glanced over at Jess. His eyes grew wide as he saw her sweeping her hair into a ponytail, her eyes rolling back in her head as she tugged the hairband around her dark hair. As she finished, she tilted her head to one side and started fanning her exposed neck. He swallowed hard, trying unsuccessfully to look away. He cleared his throat again. "You uh, when did you...are you ok, Jess?"

She snapped her head upright as her ponytail flopped down, and his hoodie slid sideways exposing her shoulder. "Hmmm?"

He shook his head. "Uh, nothing." He watched her run her hand across her collarbone as she readjusted the hoodie and her long eyelashes fluttered against her pale cheek. "Nevermind." Trying hard to distract himself, he focused on his laptop screen.

"Nick...I know I'm supposed to like having my own tools, but I still think yours is better. It so much nicer to hold in my hand. Maybe it's because yours is so huge."

Nick slowly raised his head, swallowing hard. "My _what_ is huge?"

Jess raised her eyebrows and scowled at him. "Your hammer." She shook her head confused. "I said it's easier to hold, but it's probably because it's bigger."

"Right, um...the hammer."

Jess just shook her head and went back to the desk, hammering the round bolts gently into the holes before lining them up with the screws to tighten. Nick took a deep breath, turning back to his computer. After a few more minutes of hammering, Jess took a deep breath and unzipped the hoodie, throwing it on the desk chair behind her.

Nick glanced up again, just as she was back to kneeling on the floor. Letting out a grunt, she walked her hands several feet in front of her to grab another bolt.

_DAMNIT Jess, really with the shorts?! It's almost WINTER, why is she wearing SHORTS?! _

Changing positions, she squatted down and blew her bangs out of her face, glancing over at him and smiling. He gave a quick smile back and pinched the bridge of his nose, sucking in a deep breath and forcing his eyelids closed.

"Hey Nick? Should my whole body feel like it's vibrating?" Nick slowly opened his eyes to look at her and saw her trying to hold two pieces of wood at a 90 degree angle while using the cordless screwdriver. He held his breath, trying hard not to notice that as she squeezed her arms together to hold the pieces in place, her cleavage was MORE than just a little noticeable as it vibrated in her tank top.

_Wait, when did she have a tank top on? What the hell was going on here?_

Nick sat up. "Um, Jess?"

She slid forward to clamp the corner together between her knees as she lifted her head. "What?"

Nick's eyes widened as he watched her thigh muscles clenching to keep the pieces in place. "What um...yeah, what are you doing?"

"Well," She let out a small grunt as she leaned forward, her ponytail falling over her shoulder. "I'm trying to keep this," She let out a moan as she shifted to squeeze her legs together tighter. "this, piece of wood in place so I can get the darn screw in the hole." She threw her head back and looked at him. "Why won't the screw fit all the way in the hole?"

Nick ran his hand along the back of his neck, feeling a slick layer of sweat forming along the top of his shirt. "Um, which screw do you have?"

She put the screwdriver down in front of her. Lifting her butt off her legs, she crawled onto all fours and reached toward the directions. "The smaller one. It says I need the small one. Wait, is this the big one?" She laughed to herself and rolled her eyes at her stupidity. "Maybe that's why it won't slide all the way in. It's probably too big."

She grunted as she stretched her arm to reach another screw from the bag and she held the directions and screw out for Nick to look at. He was trying hard to pay attention, but his eyes kept wandering to her chest. In the position she was in, all he could see was an abundance of upper boob squishing out of the top of her tank top. Just then, her eyes rolled back in her head as she craned her neck from side to side to stretch, moaning in relief.

_Why are you on all fours right now, Jessica?_

_What's with the tank top? _

_Good GOD why was this turning him on?!_

He took a deep breath as he reached out for the items. He could do this. All she was doing was assembling a damn desk. _Get a grip on yourself, Miller. You're acting like an idiot. _"Ok. See this picture? You have the wrong size screw."

She let out an exasperated sigh as she stood up, the wood falling apart with a soft thump on the carpet. As she took a few steps over to the end of the bed where he was sitting, he looked her up and down once again, and then quickly focused on the paper. Leaning over, Jess put her hands on her knees to see the picture. "So, it's the smaller one?"

"Um, right. Yeah. You have some left, right?"

"I should. Why don't they just make them all the same size? These pictures are ridiculous, they can't even draw them to scale!" She bounced her knees several times as she hummed to herself and looked around the floor. Her chest was inches from his face, so Nick closed his eyes. By the time he opened them again, she had twisted her body to the side, still bent over with her hands on her knees, only instead of her chest it was now her perfect ass staring him in the face.

"Oh wait, I see one!" Jess bent over to pick up the screw and Nick finally lost all his self control.

"OH MY GOD JESSICA. THAT IS IT!" Nick jumped to a standing position, throwing the directions down on the floor in front of him. Just as Jess was standing back up, a startled look on her face, Nick grabbed her by the waist and threw her body around so she was facing him. Yanking her forcefully to his chest she gasped as the wind was knocked out of her.

"NICK!" She barely could get out his name before his lips crashed onto her and she felt his hands pulling her hips to his body forcefully.

"We are," He aggressively continued to kiss her. "DONE with the damn desk." He turned her back toward the bed and let go of her hips, just long enough to rip his shirt over his head. "Take off your clothes now, Jess. I mean it. Take them off." His voice was gruff as his brown eyes darkened.

Jess pulled her head back in surprise, trying to catch her breath. "WHAT are you doing?!"

He threw his shirt to the side and quickly stepped past Jess. In one sweeping motion he shoved all of the pieces still needing to be assembled off the bed onto the floor. A soft pinging noise could be heard against her bedroom door as a bag of screws and pegs flew open and the tiny projectiles bounced off the wood. He grabbed the laptop, snapping the lid shut, and slid it to the floor.

"NICK, I had that all laid out, and..."

"I don't care about that...You..." Nick grunted again, standing up and grabbing Jess by the waist. Breathing heavily, he spoke in broken gasps. "...are going to...get naked... on this bed, ...RIGHT NOW."

Her heart suddenly beating in her ears, she placed her hands on his chest and narrowed her eyes. "OH, IS THAT RIGHT?!" She pursed her lips together and crossed her arms in front of her, knowing exactly what it would do to the position of her chest in her tight tank top. She raised her eyebrows, looking straight into Nick's eyes. A slow smirk came across her mouth as she watched Nick's eyes struggle to stay focused on her own blue eyes, rather than his most favorite part of her boobs that was only inches from his face. She felt his fingers digging into the sides of her waist as she slowly leaned forward until he could feel her hot breath on his lips. She shimmied her shoulders back and forth and slowly whispered, "Make me."

There was a moment where both of them stood perfectly still, each waiting for the other one to cave and make the next move. They stared into each others eyes, both of their chests heaving as their breathing became more labored. Jess tilted her head ever so slightly as her eyes dropped quickly to Nick's lips and back to his eyes. Knowing what was coming next, Jess waited just a moment until she slowly pulled her lip between her teeth started to bite down. Narrowing her eyes, she saw the exact moment that Nick's eyes flashed to her lips and she reached out to grab his arms. With a pure rush of adrenaline, she squeezed his upper arms between her long fingers and spun around him, taking him by complete surprise as she traded positions with him and forcefully threw him backwards on the bed. Before he even knew what had happened, Jess climbed on top of him with one knee straddled on each side of his waist. Grabbing his wrists, she pinned his arms down on the bed next to his head and leaned down, her face inches from his.

Her chest heaved as she smirked at him. "Never underestimate a woman who just learned how to use power tools, Nick Miller." Nick released a grunt from deep in his throat, as he tried to move his arms. Jess just shook her head and pressed her weight down on his body harder, squeezing his wrists between her fingers and teasing her torso just above his naked chest. She tilted her head with a warning look in her eye as she let go with her right hand and in one motion reached between their bodies and roughly grabbed the waistband of his jeans, yanking hard. Her eyes sparkled as she spoke slowly in a deep, husky voice. "NOW, we get naked!"


	28. A stormy night

The loft was quiet when Jess arrived home from a long day of shouting over wild tweens excited for the upcoming Thanksgiving break. Winston and Schmidt were both out for the night, and Nick wouldn't be home until after midnight. She had made a cup of tea and tried to watch a movie, but decided to go to bed instead. The rain seemed to be picking up outside, and just before turning off the tv, a banner had come across for a severe thunderstorm warning until 11 pm. Living in Oregon most of her life, Jess should have been used to the rain. However, after being in LA for awhile, she had become even more terrified of thunderstorms than she had been as a kid.

Fantastic.

_You're a grown woman for crying out loud, calm down._

Curling up in bed, snuggled in Nick's favorite flannel shirt, she set her tea on the nightstand and grabbed her phone. She sent a quick text to Nick.

_I hate thunderstorms. _She took a deep breath, trying to ignore the pounding rain on her windowpanes. It took Nick a few moments to respond, and she was almost ready to put the phone down again before it buzzed.

_is one coming?_

_warning until 11 pm :-(_

_are you alone?_

_yeah_

_you ok?_

_you know me and storms. _She felt a little silly being so shaken about the coming storm, but they happened in LA so rarely, that her childhood fear had somehow gotten worse as she got older.

_I'll try to stay on here with you_

She smiled at how concerned Nick was, never once making fun of her ridiculous fears. _don't worry, I'm fine. I'm tired anyway_

_you sure?_

_yeah, I'll just head to bed_

_see ya there later :-)_

_love ya, weirdo_

Just as she was ready to put down the phone, she saw her window light up. Bracing for the loud crack of thunder to follow, her body tensed until she realized the storm was still too far away.

She muttered to herself, "Get a grip, Day. You're being ridiculous." Shaking her head and taking a deep breath, she tried her best to forget about the storm.

She snuggled down into the covers on Nick's side, facing the door, and pulled one of Nick's pillows to her chest. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, the comforting smell of her boyfriend easing her worries. Almost twenty minutes had passed and she had started to doze off until a loud crack of thunder startled her as it shook the entire apartment. She let out a small squeal as she opened her eyes, just as the entire apartment fell dark and quiet.

_Of course the electricity would go out when I'm home alone._

Jess squeezed her eyes closed and buried herself into the covers once again, gripping Nick's pillow even tighter. She could feel her heart pounding loudly in her ears as she heard a strange noise and her eyes flew open again. Breathing deeply, she watched the doorway as flashes of lightning momentarily lit up the room. She jumped as another loud crack of thunder rumbled, followed by the sound of the front door closing. Holding her breath, she could feel herself start to panic. She quickly slid across the bed to grab her phone, then nestled herself back into Nick's side of the bed. She gasped in terror as a flash of lightning revealed a figure in the doorway and she let out a tiny scream.

"JESS! It's just me."

Relief washed over her body as she heard Nick's voice and she threw back the covers and leaped from the bed. Almost knocking him into the wall, she threw her arms around his neck and gasped for air as her heart raced. "God, you scared me."

He wrapped his arms tightly around her waist as she let out a relieved sigh. "I'm so sorry, my phone battery died."

She squeezed him tighter and closed her eyes. "What are you doing here?!"

He let out a small laugh. "I know you hate storms, Jess, especially if you're alone. When did the power go out?"

"Just a few minutes ago." She loosened her grip and leaned back, brushing her lips across his cheek before pulling away. "You came home early for me?"

His hands trailed up and down the sides of her waist. "Of course I did, ya weirdo. Besides," He leaned down to give her a kiss, as the room continued to alternate between light and darkness with each flicker of lightning outside. "I'm almost the boss now, it's one of the perks."

She saw a smile on his face as another bright flash filled the room, followed by a loud crack. Jess flinched again, reaching her hands towards his neck to pull him close for another kiss. He gently guided her towards the bed and as her knees hit the mattress, she broke their kiss and smiled. "Lay down with me?"

He ran his thumbs along her waist, letting out a small laugh. "Give me a sec, I just need to change. I'm right here, just keep talking."

She giggled nervously, jumping slightly at another crack of thunder. She fluffed her pillow and laid back in bed. "Busy night?"

She heard the dresser drawer open and his voice move across the room. "Nah, it was slow anyway. Bob had it under control." He walked over to his side of the bed and felt around for the covers. "Hey," He grabbed his pillow and pushed it toward the headboard. "did you mess up my side again, woman?"

She smiled as she reached over to help straighten the pillows. "It was safer on your side."

"Safer?" He let out a loud laugh as he climbed into bed and reached out for her. She cuddled into his side as he hugged her close. Laying her head on his chest, she searched for his hand, firmly winding her fingers in his.

"I don't know, I just felt better on your side."

He tightened the arm around her shoulders. "Well, you've got me here now."

Jess took a deep breath, relaxing into his side. She closed her eyes, squeezing his hand tightly. "I'm so glad you're home, Nick. I hate storms, I always have. For some reason, they remind me of all the times I heard my parents arguing."

Kissing her head, he whispered softly. "I'm sorry."

She opened her eyes and shook her head, rolling onto her side to look at him "I don't what it is about them, but that's all I can think of." She reached her hand up to touch his face, running her fingers over the stubble on his cheek, as he moved to his side to face her. Pressing a kiss to her forehead, he gently ran his hand up and down her arm, as she finally started to relax. She could feel his soft breath on her cheek as he held her close and her eyes started to close. The storm tracked further and further away and the dwindling flashes and softer cracks of thunder gradually came to an end. Laying in silence, the rain continue to softly fall outside.

Jess whispered quietly. "Nick?"

"hmmm..." He moaned sleepily.

"Thanks for coming home."

He smiled in the dark, enjoying the warm feel of her body pressed to his. "Anything for my girl."


	29. A touch means everything

****PLEASE NOTE: This chapter is rated M.****

**This chapter is the result of a hybrid of ideas mentioned on Tumblr, as well as the desire for this story to have a little M rated goodness once and awhile. I think we all want to see a little more of the "Quick Hardening Caulk" Nick in Season 3. That self-confident guy who isn't afraid to push Jess to her absolute limits to get her to admit what she wants from him. He's a little bit of a tease here, and we all know how much that would drive Jess CRAZY. And most of you know (from my Tumblr page and the forum), that I'm a big fan of those Nick Miller hands... Basically, I saw a few close up GIFs and this story just wrote itself. ;-) To my good friend, Ana: see how easy it is to post M rated nessexiness? You should do it too... ;-)**

* * *

Jess collapsed at the desk in her classroom with a sigh. Two days before the Thanksgiving holiday and the kids were completely out of control. She was so exhausted that she wasn't even interested in the lunch that was now sitting on her desk. Pushing her hair off her face, she grabbed her purse and pulled out her phone. Nick was supposed to be working the afternoon shift that day, which was usually slow. Smiling she tapped at the screen and sent him a text.

**_finally, quiet _**Her phone beeped almost immediately.

**_rough day?_**

**_the worst. kids are INSANE before holidays_**

**_it's a cruel, cruel world _**

Jess let out a loud laugh. **I_ KNEW IT_**

**_what?_**

**_you watched Uptown Girls yesterday, didn't you? I saw the empty case_**

**_I plead the 5th_**

**_you can't deny it anymore, you suck at this game_**

**_FINE. what's egyptian cotton?_**

**_I bet Schmidt would love to tell you_**

**_do we own sheets like that? we should. they sound amazing_**

**_did you just ask me to buy new sheets?_**

**_maybe_**

She smiled. **_this is Nick, right?_**

**_funny_**

**_can't fault me for asking_**

**_fair enough_**

**_I wouldn't want to say anything sexy to Schmidt and not know it_**

**_sexy huh? should you be typing like this at school?_**

**_it's my phone silly ;-)_**

**_right. well?!_**

**_what?_**

**_say something sexy. ;-)_**

Jess paused for a moment before typing.**_ can't wait til I can pin you down tonight_**

**_that works_**

She closed her eyes, imaging what to say next. **I_ can't stop thinking about your hands on my upper boobs_**

**_or that_**

**_how well you fit in my hand. _** She giggled and felt herself blush. When did she get so bold?

**_you know I'm at work too, right?_**

_**how I can't stop thinking about you coming**. _Crap. Why did she always hit 'send' before she was finished?! She quickly finished typing, then realized what she had written.

**_DAMN IT WOMAN_**

**_HOME. coming HOME. stupid phone sent it too fast. Oh wait. Wow, that was really dirty_**

**_you need to get home FAST tonight ;-) that was so hot_**

**_you know it...when will you be there?_**

**_around 5, maybe earlier. you?_**

**_same, need to stop for bread. winston texted me. need anything?_**

**_nope, just you. :-)_**

**_:-) kids are almost back. love you_**

**_love ya_**

* * *

At the end of the day, Jess was waiting for a student to finish a make-up quiz before she could leave for the day. She glanced up from her desk and smiled at the student, as she went back to her test. Hearing her phone beep, Jess pulled it out and smiled, seeing a text from Nick.

**_better afternoon?_**

**_no one listened all day._**

**_I'm sorry anything I can do?_**

**_tell me something funny_**

**_I used Schmidt's hair crap as lube_**

Jess grimaced.** _ewwww, for WHAT?_**

**_the pipe under the sink. wait, what did you THINK it was for?_**

**_nevermind_**

**_Jessica Day, you little..._**

**_shut up. I'm innocent_**

**_not last night_**

**_I think schmidt heard me_**

**_why?_**

Jess remembered back to how strange Schmidt had acted that morning. _**he wouldn't look at me at breakfast**_

**_does he ever lately?_**

**_yeah, what's that about?_**

**_jealous that he can't have an amazing gf live with him too_**

Jess smiled. **_amazing, huh?_**

**_you bet_**

Jess sighed, relaxing back into her chair. **_home already?_**

**_just got here, left early. you leaving soon? can't wait til you come...HOME_**

Jess stifled a laugh as her student gave her a strange look. **_HA HA HA. very funny. that was the phone's fault. leaving soon_**

**_hurry up, I have a surprise_**

**_?_**

**_get here and find out ;-)_**

* * *

Jess walked into the loft and noticed how quiet it was as she put her bag and purse down on the floor by the couch.

"Nick?" She walked over towards the kitchen. "Schmidt? Winston?"

"Hey beautiful." She jumped a little as she heard Nick come up behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Don't scare me like that!" She gently swatted her arms as she relaxed into his embrace.

He laughed as he kissed her cheek. "I'm sorry. How did everything else go today?"

She closed her eyes as she spun to face him and snaked her arms around his neck. "Well," her eyes fluttered opened as she looked up at him and smiled. "let's just say I'm glad to be home." Letting out a small giggle she stood on her tiptoes to give him a kiss, and moaning against his lips. She started to play with the hair at his neck as she leaned back. "I can't wait to come home like this _every_ night."

Nick gave her a strange look, reaching down to take her hands. He started to pull her toward the hallway.

"Nick? What...?"

He stopped, turning around to face her and put his finger gently to her lips. Silently he shook his head, then nodded in the direction of their room. She narrowed her eyes at him, unable to stop herself from smiling.

"Nick Miller, what are you up to?"

When they got to their room, he reached for the handle and glanced at her over his shoulder. "Close your eyes."

Jess put her hand on her hip and smirked. "What are you..." She stopped herself and laughed, closing her eyes. "Okay. Eyes are closed."

"Good." She heard Nick turn the handle and the door latch click open. As he slowly guided her through the doorway and shut the door behind them, she could feel the warmth of the air in the room envelop her. "How did you get it so warm in here?"

"Shhhhh." He stepped behind her and his fingers softly swept across her shoulders, pulling her hair back gently. He pressed his lips against her neck.

Feeling herself melt into his touch, she moaned softly. "Mmmmm"

His warm breath was near her ear as he whispered. "Keep them closed." He slowly started to unzip her dress and she laughed.

"Miller, you're getting so good at this whole seduction thing, should I be worried?"

He stopped unzipping her dress for a moment and started to laugh. "Will you let me do this, ya clown?!" She continued to giggle nervously for a moment, then clasped her hands in front of her.

"Okay, okay. I trust you."

He smiled and kissed her neck once more, before unzipping her dress the rest of the way and letting her hair fall around her shoulders. Softly, he grasped her dress at the neckline and pushed it over her shoulders. His calloused fingers running slowly over her skin made her shiver. He kissed one as he dropped the dress to the floor and ran his hand up and down her naked back.

"Are you cold?"

She felt like she was in a daze and answered hazily. "Just a little."

Nick stepped to the side quickly and she could hear a small ping before being hit with a wave of warmer air. She stomped her foot a little and tried to turn around. "Can I _please_ open my eyes?"

Laughing he slowly turned her to face him, her eyes fluttering slightly, but remaining closed. He bent down just long enough to guide her legs out of her dress and gently threw it to the side. He paused for a moment and Jess let out a laugh.

"Do you want me to take my off my tights?" She crossed her arms in front of her and scrunched her nose, eyes still closed.

Nick shook his head and gave one of her legs a slap. "How did you know? They're so fricken complicated!"

Unable to stop laughing, she tried to awkwardly remove her tights. As she started to lose her balance with her eyes closed, Nick jumped up and grabbed her hand to steady her, causing them both to laugh even harder. "You know, if I could open my eyes, this would go a lot faster for you." She bent down and finished taking off the tights. Nick couldn't help but smile at how adorable she looked with her eyes squeezed shut. "Ok, you have me almost completely naked, you better plan on finishing this!"

Nick bent over and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. "I'm trying hard to resist, because I had something else in mind. Although...I didn't really think this through, on account of you being naked for it..." She tilted her head and squeezed his hands.

"Can I at least open my eyes now?!" She asked excitedly.

Nick took a deep breath. "Okay, you can open them."

She slowly opened her eyes and took in the room around her. Nick stepped aside still holding her hand as her eyes adjusted to the dimly lit room. She let out a gasp.

"Nick."

He smiled as he walked her to the bed. The room was lit only by candles, which he had spread throughout the entire room, while a space heater was running next to her desk, blowing warm air towards them. Nick had pulled her desk chair to the bottom of the bed and on top of it was a basket full of various bottles. A cooler full of ice was on top of the dresser with a bottle of wine.

"Nick, this is beautiful." She turned toward him as he guided her to the bed.

Helping her to sit down on the edge, he smiled. "I know how crazy work has been for you the past few weeks, so I thought you could use one of my special Nick Miller back rubs." He grinned at her and wiggled his eyebrows as he opened and closed his hands, unable to stop his eyes from gazing up and down her naked body.

She let out a small squeal. "Are you serious?!"

He gently shook his hands and nodded towards her. "Lay down woman. Get comfortable."

She excitedly fell onto her stomach on the bed, kicking her feet towards the headboard. Nick knelt down beside her and she raised up on her elbows, their eyes level. She smiled and whispered softly. "I love you." Leaning over, she kissed him and tilted her head as he watched her intently.

He let himself get lost in her stare for a few moments, before he reached out to pull her hair to one side and coax her to lay down. "I love you too, Jess." He bent over to kiss her eyelid as she laid her head down and let herself relax into the mattress.

Nick took a deep breath and reached into the basket on the chair trying to find the bottle labeled "massage oil". He cursed under his breath as he dropped the first bottle on the floor. "Damn it"

Jess smirked and let out a small giggle as she tried to keep her eyes shut. Nick glanced over at her and couldn't help but laugh. "YOU...be quiet."

Pursing her lips she nodded against the mattress. "Yes, sir..."

Nick found the right bottle and moved to sit next to her on the bed. He rubbed his hands together quickly to warm them, before pouring a generous amount in his hands. Not realizing how fast it would come out, he spilled some on Jess' back and she jumped in surprise, her eyes darting open.

"Oooo, that's cold!"

Nick threw the bottle to the floor and quickly dropped his hands to her back. "Gah, I'm sorry, Jess."

She started laughing and laid her head back down on the bed. "It's ok. Where did you get this stuff anyway? It smells incredible."

"Schmidt."

Jess' body tensed and she turned her head towards him and opened one eye to look at him. "Does he _know_ we're using it?"

Nick frantically tried to catch the liquid from rolling over her back onto the bed, wiping it up and down her back. He shook his head. "He'll never know."

Relaxing back onto the bed she sighed. "Ok, but if he asks, this was _your_ idea, Miller. You know he probably has a spreadsheet to keep track of the volume."

"Ha. Ha. Very funny!" He gently started to rubbed the oil on her entire back to spread it out, and then worked his hands up to her shoulders.

"Hey, you know how h..." She stopped mid sentence and started to moan as he kneaded her shoulders. "Oh God. Why are you so good at this?"

Nick smiled as his thumbs worked in circles around her shoulder blades. "Like it?" He felt her body relax as she let out another moan.

"Don't ever stop..."

Nick gently swiped his hand along her neck, brushing her dark hair to one side across the bedspread. He swallowed hard as he stared down at her closed eyelids and the way her eyelashes fluttered slightly with each pressing movement of his thumbs. Slowly he found himself leaning closer and closer to her face until he couldn't resist pressing a kiss to her exposed neck. Jess moved her head slightly, just enough to angle her chin upward. He watched as she pursed her red lips and another moan vibrated from the back of her throat. Moving his fingers across her shoulders to her upper arms, he kissed her cheek and closed his eyes.

_Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, Miller. FOCUS. This is a MASSAGE._

Using wide circles with his palms, he made his way down the soft skin of her arms, before returning to her shoulders and starting a line of small movements with his thumbs down the center of her back.

Jess spoke hazily. "This is amaaaaaazing. I want your hands on me aaaaaaall night..."

Nick paused momentarily before taking a deep breath and continuing his way down her back. Just as he reached her waist, he spread his hands out and used his entire palm to caress her lower back. Gently grazing the top of her white cotton panties, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

_Damn it, you should have thought this whole thing through..._

"Nick, you're amazing..." She moaned once again as Nick felt a bead of sweat form across his forehead.

Once again, he pressed his palms up the sides of her spine and leaned over close to her face as his hands roamed across the middle of her back. His fingers gently grazed the sides of her breasts as he kissed her lips once again.

"Jess..." His voice was unsteady. "Should I keep going?"

As his fingers made their way further around her sides along her rib cage, he felt his pulse quickening.

"Hmmmm?"

He slowly wrapped his hands around her sides, his fingers working their way toward her stomach. He leaned over and kissed her neck. He heard her breath hitch in her throat as his hands slowly made their way lower, before stopping at the edge of her panties. She moaned softly and he gently nipped her ear, whispering, "you drive me crazy, you know that?"

She tilted her head away from him as she smiled with her eyes still closed, seemingly begging for him to kiss her neck again. He smiled before doing just that. His hands traveled along her back and around her waist as she slowly rolled over, his lips making their way across her neck and along her jawline to her lips.

"Don't stop..." She spoke breathlessly as his fingers traced a slow line from her sides to her navel. Opening her eyes, she grabbed his face in her hands and pulled him to her for a intensifying kiss. With more urgency, his thumbs pressed along her hipbones, stopping to trace small circles over the protruding bone as their kisses became more frantic.

Jess' hands made their way under his black t-shirt and she tugged gently as he raised his arms so she could pull it off. Throwing it to the side, she moved her hands to the waistband of his jeans. She stopped abruptly to lean back on her elbows as he started to gently suck on the indentation by her collar bone and her eyes rolled back in her head.

"Nick...oh God."

Without hesitating, his fingers trailed along the bottom edge of her panties, pushing them aside and finding the wetness that was waiting for him. Her body collapsed back on the bed as her hips bucked towards him.

"Oh God...don't stop."

He smiled once more as he leaned down to kiss her neck, much harder than before. His naked chest pressed against her as his fingers teased her opening.

Unable to take much more, Jess lifted her head and her eyes flew open. She gasped breathlessly, looking straight into his eyes.. "Just...Nick..."

He smiled deviously and raised his eyebrows, moving his fingers faster for only a few moments before slowing them again. He watched her face as she looked into his eyes with an even deeper stare, a growl escaping her lips in frustration. "God Miller...why are you stopping..."

He shook his head slowly, running his tongue along the inside of his lips. Her eyes traveled from his lips up to his eyes and back down again, before she grabbed him and kissed him roughly. He felt her nails digging into his arms as she tried to coax his arm to move faster.

She begged breathlessly between kisses. "Nick. Please..." She whimpered. "I want it Nick...please."

He slowly pushed one finger inside her, feeling her sigh in relief as her fingers slowly loosened their grip on his arms. Circling his finger several times, she moaned relaxing back onto the bed almost completely. Smiling and kissing her neck once more, he stopped and withdrew his finger, making painfully slow circles against her as the slickness increased. Her fingers once again tightened around his arms and she hissed in his ear.

"Damn it...don't stop"

He laughed before lowering his head to draw his tongue along the upper edge of her breast. She tried to scoot her body down the bed and press herself against his fingers, but he only lightened his touch and slowed their movements even more. He kissed his way back to her ear as he could feel her body begging for him to continue, her heat radiating into his hand. "Tell me what you want."

A frustrated moan came from the back of her throat as she pulled his arms trying to get him to touch her and do what she wanted him to with his fingers. She squirmed underneath him as he smiled, his lips pressed against her neck just under her ear. "Nick. Quit teasi..." He firmly pressed one finger inside again as she gasped in relief and she stopped mid-sentence. He started to pick up the pace as he felt her getting close, her body starting to quiver around him. Kissing her hard, their tongues fought frantically as he pressed a second finger inside of her and her entire body seem to melt into his. Her head fell back and she started to gasp. "Oh God, yes...yes."

Smiling once again, and so turned on by how far he could push her, he once again slowed his movements. She groaned loudly this time in utter frustration, grabbed his hand and forcefully started guiding it harder and harder against her. "NO...don't stop"

He reveled in how frantic and aggressive she had become and had an urge to hear her beg. Leaning over, he tried to kiss her but she turned her head away, her eyes full of fiery rage.

"What do you want, Jessica?" He teased.

Still trying desperately to increase the speed of his fingers against her to no avail, she gasped. "Nick...so close...do it"

His breathing was heavy as he was slowly losing his nerve. He didn't know how much more of this he could take as she continued to throw her body against his. "Do what? Say it, Jess. I want to hear you say it."

She aggressively grabbed his hand, trying to push it into her as her body was desperately begging him to continue and take her over the edge. "Touch me, Miller." He paused to firmly press the spot he knew would drive her absolutely crazy. He watched her eyes roll backwards, her face contorted. He smiled, knowing how close he was to getting what he wanted.

"Tell me what you want, Jessica." He pushed his fingers deeper, waiting for her to tell her what he needed to hear. "Say it. How do you want it."

She finally gave in to him, as her voice begged, "Faster...and, and..." She gasped for air as he followed her instructions.

"Tell me..." He kissed her again. "Tell me you want me." He gently nuzzled her nose into her neck, his mouth tickling her skin as he spoke. "Say it..."

"Oh God harder...so much harder." She tried to catch her breath as Nick's motions matched her words. "So close..." Finally, she let go of her inhibitions as she felt herself teetering on the edge of something so powerful she felt the room start to spin. Her voice got louder as her desires overtook her. "Fuck it, Nick. HARDER. I WANT IT HARDER!" Nick smiled in satisfaction as he did exactly what he was told, her requests firmly shouted in his ear. She gasped between breaths, "Now... Faster... So hard...God, Nick, I ...don't stop." She felt her body break out in a sweat as her entire body began to give in to the intense waves of her orgasm.

God, how he loved being able to do this to her. He loved the way he could push her to scream out exactly what she wanted, an endless string of commands that made him want her even more. He knew exactly what she wanted and he could give it all to her. He could feel it through her entire body as her walls clenched around his fingers. He pressed his torso against her to feel her gyrating hips and soft breasts against his skin, moving with her and feeling every pulsation in her body underneath him. It was taking all his self control not to push his entire self into her right now, to be inside of her. He watched her beautiful face as she opened her eyes for a moment to hold his gaze, a deep blue haze of satisfaction as she continued to crash over the edge. He continued to match her motions with his own, thrusting harder until he knew that she couldn't take any more. He felt so in control. So powerful. He loved how demanding she had been, telling him exactly what she needed and being able to give it to her. In this moment she was his, and he was everything she was asking of him. He continued to move with her until her body had fallen limply away from him, as she tried hard to catch her breath.

She finally spoke, her voice cracked and exhausted. "Oh god...what did you do to me?" Her entire body was shaking, her voice unsteady as she closed her eyes against the lightheaded feeling in her head. She took several deep breaths as the room slowly stopped spinning, and came back into focus.

He collapsed next to her and pulled her into his arms, showering her cheek and forehead with soft kisses. His voice was husky, "Good back rub?"

She smacked his arm and glared at him, her voice still shaky and breathless. "Very funny, Miller. What the hell were you trying to do? Make me kill you!"

He laughed and rolled onto his back, pulling her on top of him as she continued to smirk. "Was it that good?"

"Oh God" She gave him a kiss before collapsing her head onto his chest. "I can't even...I've never wanted it so much. I was losing my mind."

He wrapped his arms around her waist, squeezing her tightly. "Now you know how I felt all those times I had to resist touching you."

Jess lazily lifted her head and stared into his eyes, gently playing with his hair. "That was..." She gave him a kiss. "I love you, ya know."

He shrugged, trying to purse his lips against the huge smile he felt inside. "I guess."

She slapped his chest. "You _guess_?!"

His eyes softened as his face slowly fell serious. "Jess?" Her brows started to furrow with concern, her eyes narrowing. "I don't know what I'd do without you." He felt a lump in his throat and overwhelming emotion wash over him. Suddenly he wondered if he was still breathing. They slowly rolled onto their side and he brushed a piece of hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear. "I can't imagine my life...you..."

She smiled, and ran her finger softly across his lips. Leaning into him, she paused just before her lips touched his, her eyelashes tickling his cheeks, "I'm not going anywhere, Nick. I promise."

He took a deep breath as she pressed against him, their kiss intensifying once again. Jess reached for his belt and started to tug at his waistband as his lips found her neck. She laughed nervously, "Take these off and get on top of me." She gave one forceful tug, biting her lip and grumbling under her breath. "Right now."

Nick smiled at how quickly she had caught on to his new game and rolled off the bed at her command. He stood up to take off his pants and watched her eyes follow his every move. She reached her arms out with her hands grabbing at him as he dove back onto the bed. He rolled on top of her, hovering just above her. "Was that so hard, Jessica?"

She narrowed her eyes and ran her hand up and down his muscular waist, a satisfied smile coming across her lips. "You have some serious skills, ya tease!"

He propped himself up on his elbows, brushing her hair gently from her face. He swallowed hard and looked into her eyes. "I'd do anything for you." He kissed her forehead and felt her shudder beneath him, her fingernails gently pressing into his back. "Tell me what you want and I'll give it to you." He smiled, kissing her lips. "Anything." She gently grabbed his shoulders, pushing him to his back. Rolling on top of him, she leaned on her hands to look at him. His eyes and hands traveling up and down her gorgeous body above him, before his gaze settled back on her eyes. He whispered with every ounce of sincerity that he had. "I want to give you everything. I'll never stop trying for you."

Jess smiled before slowly melting into him, kissing him with as much passion as ever. As his hands caressed her body she whispered in his ear. "It's _you. _I just want you."_  
_


	30. Take the keys and drive

****The beginning of this chapter was inspired by a prompt/idea on Tumblr (Drunkonfame). She always has the BEST ideas that get inside my head and spin their way into entire stories. There is a small reference to something that 'may' happen in the season premiere with Jess' car (a conclusion from the sides), just as a warning.*****

Nick opened his eyes slowly, the room a hazy gray in the fading night. He reached out to grab his phone to check the time.

_4:54 __am _

He laid it back down on the nightstand and slowly flipped onto his opposite side. Smiling, he reached his hand out to touch Jess' cheek as she slept. She let out a small moan and turned into his hand. Unable to resist, he leaned closer to press a soft kiss to her lips, smiling into her as she awoke to kiss him back. He pulled back and waited for her to open her eyes, giving her one last quick kiss.

She mumbled, eyes still closed. "You're mean." He kissed her again and started lightly stroking her cheek. "Nick..."

He laughed softly as her eyes fluttered open. His fingers tangled in the hair around her face as he caressed her cheek just under her eye with his thumb. "There are those beautiful eyes, I missed them."

She squinted at him and laughed, shoving him in the chest. "You're so weird." She snuggled closer, sliding her arm around his waist as she buried her face in his chest. "Cute...but weird."

Kissing the top of her head, he pulled her close and ran his hand up and down her back. "Let's stay in bed all day."

She moaned, a soft buzz vibrating against his chest. "We did that yesterday."

"Two days is better."

Her hand slipped under the hem of his t-shirt as she ran her fingers against his skin. "Hmmmmm. I wish. Thanksgiving break is over." Nick just laughed, playing with her hair. "What time is it? I don't want to get up yet."

"Early. Not even 5."

She snuggled in closer, "good. more sleep."

Nick closed his eyes as she relaxed into him embrace, falling back to sleep. "More sleep."

* * *

Jess sat on the edge of the bed, lost in thought as she brushed her hair. Nick stirred, flipping his head to face her as he remained asleep on his stomach. She just shook her head and laughed, swinging her legs onto the bed and laying down next to him. She leaned over and started kissing his cheek. He grimaced a little in his sleep.

"Stahhhhhp..." He groaned, opening one eye.

She laughed and started poking his shoulder menacingly. "Come on, where are those beautiful eyes, Nick Miller."

"You're so annoying." He pulled his hand out of from under the pillow and grabbed hers as he flipped onto his back and opened his eyes. "Come here, woman."

Giggling, she slid on top of him and started to play with his hair. "Morning. Gotcha back."

He just grunted and pulled her down for a kiss. "Hmmm, morning to you too." He pulled his head back into the pillow and looked her up and down. "You dressed already? What time is it?"

She shrugged, crossing her arms on his chest. "Almost seven. I have to go."

"Noooooo." He grabbed her arms and rolled on top of her. "Stay home. You look sick," he winked. "yep, you definitely need a sick day."

She shook her head and tried to sit up, pushing on his chest. "Nope. Can't. I have to finish decorating my classroom."

Nick laughed as he played with a loose curl on her shoulder. "You're too funny."

She pulled her head back and frowned. "What? Everyone loves Christmas!" she winked. "Even Schmidt."

"Please tell me you didn't remind him about the menorah you bought on sale last January."

She smiled. "It's with all the decorations," She gave him a quick kiss. "which you promised me you would get out for me today, remember?"

He growled. "Don't remind me."

"Niiiiiick. Please?"

He squinted his eyes at her, running his hands along her arms. "Okay, fine." She nodded and smiled as she rolled to the side and sat up. Nick turned towards her, leaning his head on his hand. "Want to meet me at the bar after work? I'll take ya out to dinner tonight."

"Hmmm, that sounds fun." She stood up, smoothing her dress and glancing across the room into the mirror. "Any special reason?"

He paused for a moment, staring at her until she looked back in his direction. He winked at her and smiled. "'Cause you're beautiful."

Jess shook her head and laughed as she leaned over the bed one last time to give him a kiss. "I love you. I'll see you later." His hand lingered on hers as she stood up and started for the door. She stopped in the doorway and turned around. "Bar around 5?"

He smiled and nodded his head.

"See ya, Nick." He started to get up when he heard her call from the hallway. "Don't forget those decorations!"

He raised his eyebrows and shook his head, a small smile creeping onto his lips.

* * *

Nick looked at his phone again. Almost six o'clock. Where was she?

He called Jess' phone for probably the hundredth time and it went directly to voicemail.

"Excuse me?" Nick glanced up to see a flustered customer point to his beer. "Another, please?" Nick nodded and quickly opened a bottle, sliding it over to him.

Picking up his phone, he started to dial. He thought he remembered Schmidt saying he had meetings all day, so he called Winston. "Hey Winston, have you heard from Jess? Is she there?"

_"No, I haven't seen her."_

"If she comes home, tell her to call me. I thought she was coming here after work, but maybe I missed a message that she'd be late."

_"No problem, man. I'll tell her."_

He hung up with Winston and tried to send Jess another text.

_worried. Let me know you're ok._

Nick couldn't keep his eyes off the entrance. Finally, around six-fifteen, he saw Jess come through the door.

Running around the bar, he caught up to her just as Schmidt came through behind her. "JESS! Thank God. Where have you been?!" He saw her puffy eyes and grabbed her arms. "Wait, have you been crying? What the hell happened?!"

He glanced up at Schmidt who just rolled his eyes, shaking his head.

"Ughhhhh, it's that stupid car. It conked out in the middle of the road on the way home and my phone was dead and... Thank God Schmidt was still at work, because at least I could walk there."

"You walked?! What the..."

She swiped her hand across her bangs, tugging at a strand of hair in frustration and tucking it behind her ear. "It's fine, Nick. It's...it's fine. It was only a few blocks. Hold on..." She looked at her vibrating phone. "I gotta get this, it's the tow truck. I only charged this thing for like 5 minutes on the way here..."

She started to walk away when Nick looked over at Schmidt as he gestured his head toward the bar. "How long was she stranded?"

Schmidt slid onto a stool as Nick made his way around the counter. "Not too long, that _thing _is still out there though. Maybe someone will hit it and put it out of it's misery."

Nick reached up and slapped the side of his head, Schmidt ducking in disgust. "WHAT THE HELL, Schmidt?!"

"Owww, quit it, man!" Schmidt squatted his hand away.

Folding his arms on the bar, Nick leaned over and shook his head. "This is all my fault. She's stuck with that piece of crap car because of me." Nick handed him a beer as Schmidt grimaced and held it up to face where Nick had just slapped him.

"Don't beat yourself up Nick. It all worked out."

"Worked out? I don't know what the hell I was thinking when we were down there. At least her old car never left her stranded."

Schmidt shrugged. "I don't know why she kept that piece of crap THIS long."

Nick glared at him. "She just started a new job, ya idiot. She can't afford a new car."

Schmidt gave a small nod. "Well YOU certainly can't lend her YOURS."

"I've gotta fix this, it's not fair. She could have gotten hurt and it would have been my fault."

"Hey Nick. Slow down, man. Maybe it's not even that bad. Look," he nodded toward Jess, who was making her way towards them. "she probably has it all figured out anyway."

Just as Jess sat down, Schmidt's phone started to ring. He pulled it out and shook his head. "Damn it. I gotta take this..." He wandered off as he answered his phone.

Nick reached out for Jess' hands and leaned over to kiss her cheek. "Hey, what did they say?"

She frowned and shook her head. "I think it's hopeless. They towed it to the shop but it needs like...EVERYTHING." She looked into his eyes. "What am I going to do? I can't buy a new car."

Nick ran his thumbs over her knuckles softly. "Maybe we can work something out, maybe I can talk to them and..."

She shook her head and pulled her hands back. "Nick, NO."

"Jess," His eyes widened. "let me help you."

Jess jumped off the stool in frustration. "You know, I'm tired of having this same fight ALL THE TIME. I can take care of myself!"

Nick just rolled his eyes. "I'm not saying you can't, just...this is partly my fault, so I'm going to make this right."

"Nick stop it." She shook her head and grabbed her phone off the counter. "This isn't your problem, it's MINE. Just let me deal with it, okay?"

"Jess..." He called after her just as Schmidt returned to his stool.

"What the hell did I miss?"

Nick sighed loudly and shook his head. "Nothing. She frustrates the hell out of me, because she doesn't want my help. What does she expect me to do, be okay with a shitty car leaving her in the middle of the road?"

"I don't know what to tell you, Nick. Women." He rolled his eyes. "Does she know what's wrong with it yet?"

"Everything, apparently."

Schmidt managed a genuine concerned glance. "Hey look, I'm sorry. The whole thing really does suck." He slapped the counter. "Damn it, Mexico!"

Nick looked at Schmidt in disgust, before straightening up and pointing. "Hey, wait a minute. What about yours?"

Schmidt looked at him incredulously. "Mine?"

"Yeah. Come on, Schmidt. Help me out here."

"Fine, but how? What am I supposed to do?"

"You said you were getting a new car soon anyway, right?"

"So?"

"Look, I can pay you for yours, just for a month or two. Just 'til she finds something she can afford. Come on, man. She just got this job and she's trying so hard."

Schmidt shook his head. "But how can I buy a new one without selling mine first?"

Nick laughed. "Really? You've been bragging about your commission on that stupid Vodka thing for MONTHS."

Schmidt sighed. "Fine. Listen, one of our accounts is a dealership, maybe... Maybe I can talk him into letting me test one out for a few weeks. Tell him I'm interested in buying or something."

Nick reached out to slap him on the shoulder. "Thanks man, I'll owe you big Schmitty."

"It's not going to be long, but .." He tapped his chin, a devious grin spreading across his face. "Maybe I can use some dirt I have on him to my advantage." He looked at Nick and smiled widely. "I bet I could turn this into one hell of a deal!"

Nick just looked at him and frowned. "Whatever, Schmidt, as long as it helps Jess."

Schmidt clapped his hands together, rubbing them together roughly. "Yeah, yeah. Sure."

* * *

Jess was sitting down on the couch with a bowl of ice cream, when Schmidt walked in and sat down on the couch across from her. He held out a pair of car keys.

Swallowing the spoonful in her mouth, she narrowed her eyes at him. "What's this?"

He rolled his eyes, jingling the keys in annoyance. "Geez, Jess...I know you're not used to fine things ,but..."

"Schmidt." She leaned over to put the bowl on the coffee table and took the keys in her hand. She glared at him, still wondering what he was doing.

"Okay, fine." Schmidt sighed. "Look, Nick said you needed help. So I'm helping you out."

Jess slapped her hands on her legs, before making fists with her hands. "God, I can't believe he told you! He's gotta stop trying to save me all the damn time."

Schmidt shook his head. "Are you insane?"

"Excuse me?"

"The man once lived on ramen noodles and hotdogs for an entire month, because he refused to admit he needed my help. Do you know how hard it was for Nick Miller to come to me in the first place?"

Jess stared at him wide-eyed. "Wait, I didn't..."

"Look Jess, I've never been thrilled about this," He scrunched up his nose. "..._arrangement_...you two have, but I do know this; that man in there?" He pointed down the hallway. "He's in love with you. I've never seen him do the things that he does for ANYONE before. You're different. And HE'S different when he's with you. So take these keys and ...don't ask questions." His voice became noticeably softer. "Be glad you have someone who cares enough to look out for you."

She nodded slowly. "I'm sorry, Schmidt, I...thank you."

"You're welcome." He leaned against the back of the couch, flinging his hand toward the hallway again and crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Now get out of here before I realize what just happened."

* * *

Nodding slowly, Jess stood up and made her way to her room. She smiled as she opened the door quietly and stepped over to the bed to sit down. Nick was laying on his back, staring at the ceiling. "Hey."

Without moving his gaze, his replied softly, "hey, Jess"

Jess took a deep breath. "Nick, I..."

He turned his head toward her, interrupting her. "Look, I..."

"NO, stop." She held up her hand. "Let me finish... " He nodded as she took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I know that you were just trying to help and I...well, I really am grateful that you were willing to do all of this when I needed it." She gave him a small smile. "So, thank you."

Nick pulled himself up, leaning on his elbow. "You know I don't do all this just to piss you off, right? I care about ya."

She shook her head, looking down at her hands. "Nick, I know..."

"Wait, let ME finish now." Her eyes darted to his, staring intently at him. "Jessica, I know you don't need me to take care of you. I'm not stupid. But you don't understand that I WANT to." He reached out to grab her hand. "It's...I'm actually GOOD at taking care of you, and I like it. I don't have some fancy ass job like Schmidt or tons of money to buy crazy stuff, but... I can fix things for you, and make sure you're happy. Just let me do it, okay?"

"Okay." She nodded and squeezed his hand. "I just don't want to be that person. The one that needs rescuing all the time."

"Come on." He let out a small laugh. "You're beautiful, and smart, and I know you could have whatever you want. This is just a way for me to show you how much I care about you."

She shook her head, frowning. "Nick, you show me every day. I don't care about all that other stuff. You know that, right?"

He closed his eyes for a split second, sighing. "I do, it's just...this is all I have to offer right now. Just ME."

She leaned in to kiss him, a smile on her face. "Well I think Nick Miller is pretty amazing. And maybe..." Her smiled widened. "Maybe I could get used to this."

He pulled her arm, coaxing her to lay down next to him. "You better. 'Cause you can't change me, I'm too stubborn."

She scooted closer, wrapping an arm around his waist as he pulled her to his chest. "Yeah, you're definitely that. And I'm just going to keep putting up a fight, because you still drive me nuts."

He nodded, smiling. "I can deal with that..."

"So...we just drive each other crazy and enjoy the make-up sex?" She looked at him and winked.

"Make-up sex? I love make-up sex. When do we start?" He raised his eyebrows.

"Now?" He leaned closer to kiss her neck. "Or maybe later..." He pulled back and shook his head before kissing her lips. "Or yeah, right now is good..."


	31. The smell of pine in the morning

"Oh come on, Nick."

Jess was standing in the middle of an aisle in Home Depot, surrounded by Christmas decorations. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and frowned.

Nick grimaced. "I can't believe you want _white_ lights, Jessica."

"Are you serious, the white lights are amazing!"

Nick shook his head. "I thought you'd want all the bright, colorful ones."

She smiled. "I adore all the bright lights too, but there's something so romantic about having white and silvery decorations."

He turned toward the metal shelves and gestured his hands across the boxes of Christmas lights. "But it's like watching something in black and white. If you're going to buy any at all, at least make it worth it.."

"Hey, you've watched old movies with me before," She took a step forward and placed her hands on his chest, looking up into his eyes. "I _know_ you sniffled two nights ago when we watched 'It's a wonderful life'. I heard you."

Nick wrapped his arms around her waist and couldn't help but smile down at her. "Holiday movies don't count. Totally different."

"Oh, is that right..." She raised herself up on her toes to kiss him as his arms tightened around her. She pulled away with a smirk on her face, tilting her head. "So, we're getting white then?"

Nick shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. "Fine, Jessica. You win." A smile crept across his face as he stared at her bright blue eyes. "But I'm drawing the line at the ones that blink at you. Those are just creepy."

She pulled away and reached for several boxes of lights, placing them in the cart next to them. "Creepy? Really Nick?" She rolled her eyes. "The twinkling ones are the best, they look like they're moving! It's so beautiful the way they just kind of dance in the tree, just like falling snow." She sighed and stared off into space, speaking softly. "I miss snow."

Nick stepped towards Jess and reached out to rub her back. His touch startled her out of her thoughts and she smiled at him, shrugging her shoulders. Nick was about to say something when Schmidt came up behind them.

"Well, I am VERY disappointed in the non baby-in-a-dirty-barn-holiday selection in this store. Do these people not understand how many Jews live in LA?" He looked up and down the tall shelves next to him and shook his head in disgust. "It's simply abysmal."

Winston hopped up on the end of the cart, leaning his arms over the metal. "Please, Schmidt. You're just mad that we placed a limit on menorahs."

Schmidt shook his head. "I am constantly scrubbing the grout in the shower. I deserve a higher percentage of the 4D holiday display."

Nick sighed. "There is no '4D holiday display'."

Jess reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning her head against his shoulder. "There is this year, Miller. You lost the loft vote, remember?"

Schmidt grimaced at their romantic display as Nick lifted his arm and wrapped it around her shoulders. He kissed the top of her head and sighed. "Yeah, yeah."

"Well," Schmidt gestured his hand towards the affectionate couple. "If I have to watch any more of _this_, I'm not even going to _want_ a light to burn for 8 nights and be able to see what happens in the dark. You owe me at least _one_ more item for my Jewish heritage."

Winston raised his voice. "Hey, he already has that huge ass menorah Jess found!"

"Well I do _not_ have a Star of David, and since that's the limit to what's available except that hideous light up dreidel that looks like it's make out of pink pipe cleaners..."

Winston jumped off the cart and started to walk down the aisle pointing after Schmidt. "If he's getting a Star of David, I want those moving elves."

"Are you serious, Winston?" Jess pulled away from Nick and tugged at the cart. "Where would we put them?"

Nick followed behind Jess with the cart as they chased after Winston, who was skipping like a little kid toward the end cap. "Hey, Jess!" Nick stopped dead in his tracks and yelled over to her. "Do you think this inflatable Grinch will fit in our room?" She turned around as he pointed to the top of the shelves.

Jess started to laugh, walking back towards him. "Nick, he's like 10 feet tall."

"There's no way he's that tall." He grabbed the box off the shelf and flipped it over trying to read it.

Jess stepped in front of him and gently pried the box away. "You're _liking _all this aren't you?" She smirked at him and raised her eyebrows.

He stepped to the side just long enough to replace the box on the shelf, before placing his hands gently on her arms and rubbing them. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Niiiiiick."

His hands wandered to her shoulders as he gently pulled at her hair and smoothed the curls down her back. A smiled crept across his face, looking into her blue eyes. "I _might _be willing to bend my rules." He winked at her. "Just this once."

"So you're giving up the 'bah humbug' this year?"

His mouth turned into a small frown and he shrugged his shoulders. "maybe."

"Just for me?" She stepped closer as he locked his fingers together behind her back. "So if I asked for a real tree, you _might _let me convince you?"

He started to protest, but his words were silenced by a kiss as her hands pulled his face to hers.

She leaned back from the kiss and threw back her head and yelled down the aisle. "Hey Schmidt, Nick says we should get a real tree this year!"

Nick just smirked and shook his head as she winked.

"ABSOLUTELY NOT. It's a dirty, dying, parasite infested abomination to nature and I will not have any part of it!" They both started laughing as Schmidt continued his rant as he made his way towards them, arms flailing. "They make a Febreeze that smells of scented pine. I believe it's over in aisle 5."

Nick wrapped one arm around Jess' waist as he grabbed the cart with the other. "You know, they DO smell funny."

She poked his side as the started to walk. "Right, like a PINE TREE."

He scrunched up his face. "And then you have to water it, and those needles stab you in the foot, and..." He looked down at her as she paused, arms crossed in front of her, eyes narrowed. "Ok, a real tree it is, but no tinsel..."


	32. Keeping secrets

It had been a horrible day at school and Jess was looking forward to a relaxing night at home. In the back of her mind, she was really hoping that Nick had managed to set up the Christmas tree while she was at work. It might explain why she hadn't heard from him at all. It had been two days since they had all gone shopping for decorations and she really needed something to boost her spirits.

She placed the key in the slot and closed her eyes briefly as she opened the door. She sighed in disappointment when she saw the living area, exactly as it was left this morning. Dropping her bags behind the couch, she made her way to the kitchen.

As she was filling the tea kettle with water, she heard Schmidt's door opening. "Evening Ms. Day."

Jess smiled, placing the kettle on the burner and turning it on. "Hey Schmidt."

Schmidt was dressed strangely in what appeared to be Winston's sweatpants and a hoodie. She scrunched up her face. "What are you wearing?"

Schmidt glanced down and then back at her. "Well, I wasn't about to ruin my clothes with..." He stopped short and just shook his head quickly, waving his hands. "Nevermind."

Jess walked toward the island with a confused look on her face. "What's going on?"

"Nothing." He started backing up toward his room. "What makes you think something's going on?"

"You're trying to run away from me right now and you are wearing SWEATPANTS."

Schmidt stopped and crossed his arms in front of him. "Running from _you_, please." His expression changed as he quickly moved to a new topic. "So how was work?"

Not wanting to fight, Jess sighed in defeat, rubbing her hands across her eyes as she slumped onto a stool. "Terrible actually." She set her elbows on the counter and her hands fell to it's surface with a slap. "Have you seen Nick?"

"Nick? I saw him leave for work awhile ago."

Jess sat up, a confused look on her face. "That's weird, I saw his car when I pulled in. He's really not here?"

Schmidt started walking out of the room toward the living room. "He's _your_ boyfriend, I have no idea where he is. I'm off to the shower." His pace quickened as he threw up a hand and disappeared down the hallway.

Jess bit her lip, only pausing for a moment before the kettle started to whistle. As she made her way to the stove and began to pour her tea, she started to wonder if something was going on. Nick hadn't answered his phone all day, not even to send a quick text at lunch, something she had come to enjoy. She leaned her back against the counter by the sink and dipped her tea bag up and down, lost in thought.

"Hey, you're home." Winston walked into the room and grabbed a bag of chips off the shelf by the stove, dressed very similar to Schmidt. She noticed his hair was disheveled and he smelled like pine.

"Hi Winston. Where were you?"

"Me?" He pointed to himself and then backed up slowly, clearly not wanting to talk.

Jess pushed off the counter and walked towards him. "You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, just a rough day."

Jess frowned. "Me too." She looked up at him. "Did you take Nick to work? His car is outside, but Schmidt said he got called in."

Winston's eyes darted back and forth. "Work? Uh...yeah...yeah, I think he did."

"You _think_ he went?" she shook her head. "But you didn't drive him?"

"Schmidt, it was probably Schmidt."

Jess slammed her mug down on the counter. "Damnit, I just said I already talked to him. What the hell is going on? Where's Nick, Winston?"

Winston threw his hands up, the bag of chips slamming into his shoulder. "Hey, I don't know where Nick is, I just know I saw him leave." He turned on his heels quickly toward his room. "I just wanted some damn chips..."

Jess shook her head, more confused than ever. _Why was everyone acting so weird? And where WAS Nick?_

She grabbed up her mug once again and made her way to where she had dropped her purse. Picking it up, she walked to her room. After placing her tea down on the nightstand, she took out her phone and started to dial Nick's number. She frowned when she heard his ringtone coming from across the hall.

"Really?" She mumbled to herself as she crossed the hallway and opened his door. Inside the room, she found a few boxes of holiday decorations strewn across the bed where they had been all week, not even noticing that some of them were missing.

Walking to his desk, she picked up his abandoned phone. Shaking her head in frustration, it was clear that he hadn't had it on him all day. All of her messages and phone calls showed up unread. She started to put the phone back down when she noticed something that made her heart sink.

_all set to go_

It was a message from a number she didn't recognize.

She shook her head and snapped the phone shut, throwing it down on the desk. NO. She wasn't going to be the crazy girlfriend going through Nick's phone. She spun on her heels and ran back to her room, closing the door behind her and grabbing her tea.

Taking a few deep breaths she sat down slowly, feeling her heart race. She felt tears start to well behind her eyelids as she was unable to shake the feeling that something was going on.

* * *

Jess had no idea she had been so tired, until she heard a gentle knock on her door and realized she had fallen asleep. She glanced at her clock, 7_:23 pm, _wiping her eyes wearily as Nick came through the door. He quietly walked over to the bed and sat down, rubbing her arm.

"Hey, when did you get home?"

She sat up and scooted back towards the pillows, pulling away from his touch. He looked a little confused.

"Were you at work?"

He looked down at her hands and reached out to grab them. "No, I was... Yeah, work."

She bit her lip and studied his face for a moment. "Oh, I ..." She shook her head casually. "I just noticed your car downstairs and..."

He pulled his hand away and nervously grabbed the back of his neck, avoiding her gaze. "Yeah, uh, Schmidt drove me."

Jess closed her eyes, desperate to push away the sinking feeling in her chest. She pulled her legs underneath her. Speaking softly, she looked straight at Nick. "Schmidt told me something entirely different."

He spoke quickly. "Yeah well, he probably forgot..."

Jess leaned over and quickly reached around Nick's back, feeling the sweat pooling at the waistband of his jeans. She closed her eyes as she sat back, Nick pulling away and standing up.

"What the hell, Jess!"

Nick watched her as she slid her way across the opposite side of the bed, swinging her over the side and standing up. "Get out, Nick."

His eyes went wide. "What did you say?"

She glared at him, her anger rising. "You heard me Miller, get out!" She pointed toward the door.

"Why are you yelling at me right now?"

Her voice cracked, tears in her eyes. "You're lying to me and you know it. I saw your..." She stopped abruptly.

He stepped toward the bed, directly across from her. "You saw what?"

"Nothing. Just get out."

"TELL ME. What did you see?"

She shook her head. "Forget it, I'm not doing this..."

"NO, we ARE. What's the matter with you?!" His body stiffened, hands clenching into fists.

She threw up her hands as she felt the tears ready to fall. "Fine. I saw your phone ok." She was gasping for air. "I tried to call you all day and then I found it on your desk and..." Tears started to fall down her cheeks as her voice got more quiet, heartbroken at the words she was about to speak. "Where were you all day? Why is your sweaty back telling me you're hiding something?"

He started to open his mouth, but he didn't know what to say. He knew that she was upset, and there was an easy solution to reassure her that she was wrong in what she was thinking, but he didn't know quite how to word it. Unfortunately for him, he took so long fighting with himself in his head on how to explain it, she had already come to her own conclusions based on his silence. He watched her face fall and she ran towards him.

"GET OUT." She gasped for air, shaking her head. "GET OUT OF HERE RIGHT NOW. I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOUR STUPID FACE!"

He shook his head in confusion as he walked backwards toward the door, Jess' hands now on his chest as she pushed him out of the room.

"Jess, I ..."

She held up her hand as he fell back into the hallway. "Stop. Just stop it, Nick. I trusted you. I ..." She swallowed hard and turned around, slamming the door in his face.

* * *

Leaning her back against the door, she couldn't stop the tears from falling, her stomach now in knots. After a few minutes she heard her phone beep. She frantically swiped her hands across her cheeks as the tears still fell. Walking to the bed, she picked up her phone to find a text from Nick.

_It's not what you think, I SWEAR. I wanted to surprise you_

She sniffled, taking a deep breath to calm herself down. She took a moment to think about how to respond.

_I didn't mean to snoop, just be honest_

_I love you. please let me show you_

_show me what?_

_it's a surprise. open the door_

Jess took a deep breath and walked towards the door. As she opened it, Nick was standing on the other side, his eyes puffy. Her eyes fell to his hands, which were holding her coat and he smiled sheepishly at her.

"Will you let me explain?"

She shook her head confused as he threw the coat across her shoulders and she shrugged her arms into the warm wool. "Nick what..."

He placed a finger to her lips and simply shook his head. He wiped the tears from her cheeks and smiled. "Do you trust me?"

"I do, but..."

"Just come with me, ok?"

"Fine." She nodded, sighing and giving him a small smile.

He grabbed her hand and led her out of the apartment and up the stairs to the roof. When they got to the top, he took her hands in his and smiled. "Jessica, I want you to know how happy I've been these past few months and..." He swallowed hard and closed his eyes for a moment.

She reached out and swept her fingers across his forehead and through his hair. She smiled and spoke softly. "Me too."

Nick just nodded and slid along the stair behind her. "Ok, close your eyes." He started to push open the door and positioned his foot to do the rest as he covered her eyes. They were met with a gust of cold air and they both shivered.

"Nick?"

She apprehensively stepped onto the roof as she gripped his hand tightly, Nick moving in front of her. He leaned forward giving her a kiss, and whispered. "I wanted to do something special for you, because you mean a lot to me Jess." He stepped to the side. "Merry Christmas."

She felt Nick take her hand as she opened her eyes. She gasped as she slowly took in the sight around her, her eyes swelling with tears.

"Nick..."

The roof was covered in white lights and white and silver decorations. In the very center was their tree, decorated in the same bright white lights and silver ornaments. There were two lawn chairs in front of the tree, draped with white sheets, a bottle of champagne chilling between them. Above them were strands of small twinkling lights strung across the roof, reminding her of falling snow.

"Nick, you brought the tree up here? For me?" Jess spun around threw her arms around his neck, the tears starting to fall. "This is beautiful."

Nick closed his eyes and hugged her waist tight to him. Slowly he pulled back and looked into her eyes. "Jessica..." Interrupting him, she pressed a soft kiss to his lips.

"I love you. This is the most amazing gift anyone has ever given me." She gently scratched the back of his neck, looking into his eyes. "When did you do all this?"

Nick let out a little laugh. "Well, I had a little help from the guys while you were gone today and...well, you figured out I didn't go to work tonight."

She frowned and shook her head. Her chest was heavy with regret over what had happened earlier in their room. With tears in her eyes she swallowed hard and looked up at him. "I am _so_ sorry. I'm a idiot. I..." She felt the tears start to fall down her cheeks.

"Hey," he grabbed her face in his hands, brushing his thumbs along her skin to catch the tears. "I can't keep secrets and I was acting crazy, it's ok."

A forced laugh escaped her lips as her voice hitched in her throat. "It's not okay, Nick. I shouldn't have screamed and...I can't believe I thought that..." She blinked furiously as she looked into his eyes and he smiled.

"You wouldn't be so scared if I had just told you." He kissed her softly as her hands rested on his chest. "That text you saw?" She frowned, embarrassed. "It was the guy downstairs, he's an electrician. I accidentally blew a fuse and I called him to help me. I didn't even have my phone to realize he sent that back." She smiled and gave him another hug.

"Nick, I don't know why I just assumed the worst. You don't need to explain _anything _to me. I just had a bad day and..."

He held her tightly and rested his head on hers. "I'm sorry about your day. I just wanted to do something special for ya. I know I can be grumpy about the holidays sometimes."

She burrowed deeper into his chest, squeezing her arms around him. "I love my grumpy boyfriend, more than he knows."

They held each other for a few moments and Jess slowly leaned back to look into his brown eyes. He placed his hand under her chin, drawing circles across her lips with his thumb. "I have to admit, this whole decorating thing might be kinda fun."

"Really?" She leaned back and narrowed her eyes. "So Nick Miller might not be the Grinch after all, huh?"

He scrunched up his face. "Hey, he saved Christmas in the end, didn't he!?"

She laughed and tapped her fingers on his chest, making a robot noise with her voice. "I see you've come to the white side."

Nick let out a loud laugh and hugged her to his side, motioning across the roof. "Your white Christmas, m'lady."

She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. "This is so perfect."

In a sophisticated voice, he bowed slightly and motioned toward the lawn chairs. "Would you care for a drink?"

She dropped her arms, laughing. She took a small bow in response. "But of course, Mr. Grinch."

He slapped her arm before grabbing her hand and pulling her onto one of the lounge chairs as he sat down next to her. Kissing her cheek, he reached over and poured two glasses of champagne. Happily taking one, she flashed him one of her sweet smiles. He gently brushed his hand across her forehead and pushed a piece of hair behind her ear. Raising his glass, he smiled at her. "To the most amazing woman I've ever met, who takes such good care of me." He leaned over and gently nudged her shoulder, laughing. "Even though I pretend to hate it."

Jess giggled, blushing and nervously bit her lip. Reaching out and placing a hand on his arm, she smiled back. "To the only person I could imagine taking such good care of me."


	33. Meaningful gestures

Coming back from the bathroom in her glasses and navy blue pajamas, Jess flopped down on her stomach at the end of her bed to check her email on the open laptop. She only managed to click through one message when Nick walked in and knocked on the door to get her attention.

"Hey, Jess?"

She turned her head as he held out his cell phone. "Yeah?"

"My mom just called and she wants to talk to you? Something about a cake?"

"Oh, ok." She smiled and sat up, jumping off the bed.

She walked over to grab the phone, but he pulled it back to cover it. "Did you send her a cake for her birthday?"

Jess shrugged her shoulders. "Of course."

Nick scrunched his face, shaking his head in confusion. "When did you make it, I don't remember."

"I didn't _ship_ it there, you weirdo." She rolled her eyes. "I ordered it from that bakery around the corner that you and Winston said you went to as kids."

He shook his head. "How did you remember that?"

She shrugged her shoulders, wrapping her hand around his phone. "Is she still there? Let me talk to her." She pulled the phone to her ear as she smiled and gave him a small pat on his cheek. "Hello, Bonnie?"

_"Hi, Jess. I wanted to thank you for the cake, it was very sweet of you."_

Jess smiled and turned around to walk toward the bed. "No problem. I remember Nick and Winston mentioning the bakery."

_"Yes, they went there all the time. Nicky never remembers my birthday."_

Jess winked at Nick as she sat down. "Aw, he was the one that reminded me!" Nick just shook his head and smiled, crossing his arms over his chest.

_"Really?! You are such a good influence on him. How are you?"_

"I'm doing really great." She glanced up at Nick and smiled. "How is everything in Chicago?"

_"It's alright, I suppose. Will you and Nicky be coming back for Christmas?"_

"We are," Jess bit her lip nervously. "I hope you don't mind that Nick invited me to come along, I know the holidays are usually just for family."

_"Oh, don't be ridiculous. He can't stop talking about you every time I call. He's so happy you're coming with him!"_

She took a deep breath, staring at Nick who had a questioning look on his face. "That's really nice to hear, I'm happy too. I hope you had a nice birthday."

_"Well, thank you. You take care."_

"OK, you too. I'll see you in few weeks. I'll let you finish talking to Nick." She took a deep breath as Nick stepped in front of her to take the phone. When she handed him the phone, he leaned over to kiss her cheek.

"Hey Ma, it's me again." He winked at Jess before wandering back into the hall.

_"Nicky, I can't believe you remembered the bakery for my birthday. It was such a nice surprise!"_

"Well, we...we uh, we're glad you liked it Ma. It was all Jess though, I really can't take any credit." He leaned his shoulder against the wall just outside the doorway.

_"Well, thank you anyway. You make sure to let me know about your flight. I'll send Jamie to pick you up at the airport. I trust Jess will get you here on time this year?"_

He let out a small laugh at his mom's tone. "She won't let me miss it, Ma. I promise."

_"You make sure you're treating that girl right. You don't let someone like that get away, you hear me?"_

Nick rolled against the wall to peak into the bedroom, watching Jess hum quietly to herself as she clicked away on the keyboard. "I know, Ma." He swallowed hard and spoke softly into the phone. "I definitely know...I'll talk to you soon."

Nick took a deep breath as he closed the phone and stood in the doorway, watching Jess lay on her bed so blissfully content. He didn't need to hear the words his mother had just spoken, because he thought about it every day. He smiled in amazement at the beautiful woman in front of him. He walked over to the bed and sat down, Jess smiling up at him.

"Nice talk?"

Nick reached out and brushed her hair over her shoulder, leaning over on his arm. "Jess, what made you think to send her that cake?"

Her face fell as she sat up and pulled her legs underneath her. "Oh, did I ruin something? I'm sorry. You were so busy with the extra shifts at the bar, and I thought..."

Nick interrupted her with a kiss, his hands tangling in the hair at the nape of her neck. She tilted her head and smiled up at him as he slowly pulled away, his eyes not leaving hers. "I don't know how you're still with me."

She frowned, leaning her forehead to his. "Why do you keep saying stuff like that?"

"How do you know how to be so...good at everything?" He ran a thumb slowly across her cheek. "I forget her birthday _every_ year, she was so excited."

Pulling her head back and reaching up to ruffle his hair, she laughed. "Aww, I'm glad. And it's no trouble Nick, really." She winked at him. "It's just part of my job."

His face remained serious as he grabbed her hand, giving it a squeeze. She gave him a strange look as he took a deep breath. "I just don't get it sometimes. How did I get so lucky?"

Jess scooted closer to him and slid her arms around his waist, leaning into a hug and putting her chin on his shoulder. "I just love you, you crazy boy. We're both lucky."

He slowly wrapped his arms around her back as tight as he could and closed his eyes.


	34. Closing time

**Thank you so much for all the wonderful reviews, and for following along all this time. Although this story has a few more pieces to add to the puzzle, I couldn't resist posting "A Rolling Die" as the continuation/conclusion to this story (as it's been written for quite some time). Eventually, this story will lead directly into that one and it will all make much more sense. ;-)**

****As a warning, although not terribly graphic, this chapter is considered M.****

* * *

The streets were almost desolate as Jess pulled up to the bar just before closing time. She turned off the ignition and slid out of the car, pulling her teal wool coat tightly around her against the cold December breeze. Closing the car door, she stepped onto the sidewalk and walked toward the heavy door to the bar. She smiled, when her hand hit the cold, smooth handle and it creaked open. She quietly entered the dimly lit building, just as the last of the patrons were getting ready to leave for the night. Bob walked by and smiled at her, laying a hand gently on her shoulder.

"Hey, Nick didn't tell me you were coming. I'll go get him."

She smiled, pushing her hands in her pockets as her curls bounced softly against her face while she shook her head. "It's ok, he doesn't know I'm here. I thought I'd surprise him."

He winked. "Gotcha. You can take a seat at one of the back tables, they've already been cleaned. He should be finished in a few minutes."

She nodded, smiling sweetly. "Thanks Bob."

Jess weaved her way through the last group of woman making their way out the door, and watched as Nick directed the bartenders in their closing routines. Leaning against a booth in a darkened corner by the bar, she smiled as her boyfriend helped with the restocking of glasses and bottles. He rolled up both his sleeves and began wiping down the counter. She watched him intently and proudly as he spoke with the other bartenders, even making sure the new female bartender, Amy, didn't need Bob to walk her to her car. Time seemed to stand still watching him in his element, and so very...happy. It was moments like these that she couldn't believe she had gotten so lucky as to have him in her life.

As he hit the lights in the back and made one last sweep of the now empty room, she stepped out of the shadows and walked towards him with a smile on her face.

"Hey, you."

Turning around at the soft, sultry sound of her voice, Nick was startled for a second, before he walked briskly towards her. He paused for a moment to study her face as he stepped in front of her, leaning over and giving her a soft kiss.

He pulled back and smiled, reaching out to grab her waist and pull her close to him. "What are you doing here?"

She shrugged, her eyes glistening in the soft red glow of the recessed lights just above the bar. "I couldn't sleep and I missed you."

He let out a small laugh, narrowing his eyes. "So you drove down here at two thirty in the morning?!"

Suddenly she felt self-conscious about her surprise, as her cheeks flushed red. "I guess it seems a little silly." She reached her arms around his waist and pulled tightly, laying her head on his chest. She whispered quietly, "I thought you could use the company on the way home."

Nick kissed the top of her head and stroked her hair gently. "You're so sweet, Jess."

She leaned back to look at him. "Have a lot you need to do?"

He shook his head. "Not at all. Just took over some of the manager duties until it's all officially mine."

She closed her eyes. "Mmmm, manager. You sound so important." She opened her eyes as he bent down to kiss her.

"I guess."

He let out a little laugh as Jess gently poked his sides. "Hey, this is a big deal, Miller. Don't sell yourself short."

He couldn't help but smile at her. "I guess," he shrugged. "I'm actually enjoying it a lot more than I thought. And..." He gave her another quick kiss. "I love how happy it makes you."

Her face was beaming as she gave him another hug. "_You_ seem happy, Nick. You're really _good_ at this. And," she winked at him. "you know how sexy you are when you're all confident and in charge, right?"

He squinted at her, a small smirk on his face. "Sexy, huh? Please tell me more."

Jess quickly glanced around, before running her hand along the top of his jeans and slowly making her way under his shirt. "Well, there's something about being the girlfriend of the boss that makes me incredibly...excited."

Nick's eyes went wide as Jess slowly walked forward, pushing Nick's back against the bar. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned into him for a kiss. As she kissed her way down his neck, she gently bit his ear and whispered, "I have a surprise for you."

Nick moaned, as his fingers gripped her waist even tighter. "Jessica, what are you doing..."

"Me?!" She pulled back and twisted her fingers around the hair at the back of his neck. She blinked her eyes innocently as she took a step backwards. Nick tried to pull her towards him, but she stopped him and shook her head. "Uh uh." She bit her lip and pressed her hand firmly to his chest, gently pushing him backward into the overhang of the bar. She ran her hands through her hand, pushing her curls back over her shoulders and slid her hands down and across her waist, wrapping her fingers around the belt on her coat.

Nick swallowed hard, unable to keep his eyes off of her. "What are you..."

She bit her lip and lost her nerve for a just a second, glancing over her shoulder. "Is everyone..."

Nick nodded vigorously as her voice trailed off. "It's just us..."

She smiled again. "Hmm, good." She tugged at the belt around her waist and in one fluid motion pushed the coat over her shoulders as it fell to the her feet on the floor. Nick's eyes widened as they traveled from her sparkling blue eyes, down the soft curves of her body in a short black satin negligee, edged in red lace. His gaze faltered over her creamy legs and back up to her eyes. She let out a nervous giggle, suddenly losing her nerve. "I...I thought..."

Nick just shook his head and whispered with a look of amazement in his eyes. "God, you're beautiful." He took two purposeful strides toward her and grabbed her face in his hands, pressing his lips firmly to hers as she melted against him. Her fingers wrapped around the soft flannel of his blue plaid shirt and she smiled against his lips. When he pulled away, her eyelids fluttered in sync with a moan in the back of her throat before her long eyelashes slowly raised to reveal her dark blue eyes.

She whispered softly. "Did you know this is my fantasy? Coming to you like this at the bar?" His darkened eyes took in the soft features of her face, while he shook his head in amazement unable to speak. "I want you, Nick Miller. I need you."

Nick bent down, holding her waist tightly, and lifted her off the floor. As he turned around, he sat her on the top of the bar. Her waist now even with his chest, she wrapped her legs around him as his hands made their way along the softness of her thighs. She leaned back on her hands behind her, curling her fingers around the inside edge of the bar and scooted forward, pressing herself firmly against his chest and angling herself for him to gain access to her.

Nick looked into her eyes, seeming to ask her approval, at which point she smiled coyly and nodded her head slowly. Running his hand along her hip, she moaned slightly, "Did you plan to seduce me tonight, Ms. Day?"

"Absolutely." She smiled and grabbed his wrist, pushing his hand higher. Not needing any further coaxing, their was a sharp intake in her breath as he ran his thumbs along the bottom edges of her panties. "Damn it, you don't waste any time, mister." She groaned as he slowed his caressing movement, looking at her with a devilish grin.

He pressed his fingers firmly into the flesh below her hipbones, making soft circles on her skin. "Did you want me to?"

She sat up and gently grabbed his face in her hands. Nick smiled up at her as she leaned in to kiss him, gently tugging at his bottom lip when she pulled away. She leaned her forehead against his, their eyelashes brushing together. "I love you so much."

Running his hands up her sides, he firmly laid his strong fingers around her rib cage and lifted her off the bar. Dropping her head to his shoulder, she started to giggle while wrapping her legs tightly around his waist. He carried her to a booth and leaned forward, her back hitting the seat as her dark hair coiled onto the red leather. He began to press soft kisses into her neck, her hands fumbling to find and loosen his belt.

Nick's voice vibrated in his throat each time his lips made contact with her skin, the words soft and mumbled. "I love you, Jess."

She leaned away from his kisses, giving him better access to her neck. "Show me."


	35. Opening Eyes in Unexpected Places

Jess tugged nervously on her hair, which refused to cooperate. Frustrated, she groaned and turned around to throw her brush on the bed.

"Doesn't Schmidt have some rule against mistreating stuff like that?" Nick laughed, as he entered the bedroom, straightening his tie. He stopped when he saw tears in Jess' eyes as she sat down on the bed, lowering her head. Nick ran over and sat next to her, grabbing her hand. "Hey, what's going on?"

Jess shook her head in annoyance. "I hate this dress, my hair looks terrible, my contacts are bothering me so my eyes are all red..."

Nick gently placed his finger under her chin and tilted her head to look at him. Her gaze remained lowered as he spoke, her long eyelashes laying across her pale cheeks. "Jess, you look beautiful." He placed a soft kiss on her lips and her eyes raised to look into his.

She whispered softly. "I don't want to go Nick. They all still hate me."

He shook his head. "They don't _hate_ you, and who cares about them anyway? You're a great teacher and that's all that matters. Screw 'em."

She lowered her eyes again, leaning her head on his shoulder. "I know. It's just hard not to care, you know?"

Nick felt anger start to boil inside. Ever since the jacuzzi fiasco at the beginning of the year, Jess had tried so hard to be nice to a few of the other teachers in her building. Even though it was hard for him to understand why she even _cared _so much what they thought, he knew how much it bothered her to have them still not include her in things. He wished she would have let him tell them off that first night he convinced them to come to the bar for free drinks. Jess was amazing, and sweet, and she didn't deserve to be treated this way. It took all his self-control not to step in and just tell them all where they could go.

He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. "You look amazing in blue, your hair is perfect, and I love your glasses..."

Jess raised her watery eyes to his and managed a weak smile. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath as he leaned in to kiss her forehead. Opening her eyes slowly, she let out a small laugh. "Okay, Miller. You win." She took a slow breath, staring up at him with a soft whisper. "How do you always know how to make me feel better?"

He shrugged, circling his thumbs along the smooth, navy blue satin of her dress, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Just part of my job."

She laughed, making him smile widely. "Do you think they'll notice if we forget to show up?"

Nick grinned and gently poked her side. "I thought _I _was the one that was supposed to try and get out of your faculty Christmas party."

She laughed and poked him back. "Just promise me you won't leave my side, okay?"

"Deal." He took her face in his hands and gave her a quick kiss. "Like I would want to anyway."

* * *

When they arrived at Dr. Foster's house, Jess stopped at the bottom of his front stairs and took a deep breath. Reaching out to take the gift bag dangling from her hand, Nick rubbed her back gently over her wool coat.

"Just relax Jess, it'll be okay." He smiled when she glanced up at him.

"You're right." She gave a quick nod, bouncing up the three stairs and lifting her hand to knock on the door. Just as her hand was about to make contact with the wood below a bright green and red wreath, the door swung open in front of them.

"Welcome, Ms. Day. So glad you could come!"

Jess smiled as they stepped into the house, past Dr. Foster as he held the door open for them. When they made it into the foyer, Nick and Jess turned to face him as he shut the door. She pointed toward the bag and Nick handed it to her.

"Thank you so much for inviting us, Dr. Foster." Jess smiled and handed her boss the bright silver gift bag, containing a bottle of red wine. She was about to open her mouth to re-introduce Nick, when he spoke loudly.

"Oh, you didn't need to bring anything." He accepted the gift and roared with laughter, motioning behind them. "Go. Enjoy! Celebrate in my humble abode."

Jess looked at Nick nervously and smiled, her boss already rushing past them into the living area. Nick shrugged his shoulders and leaned towards her. "Looks like someone doesn't need that wine."

"Nick!" Jess giggled, slapping arm before reaching her hands up to unbutton her teal wool coat. Nick quickly removed his jacket and threw it over his arm, reaching up to help Jess remove her own. She smiled warmly at him as he took her coat in his hand and threw it over his arm with his. He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Go have fun. I'll figure out what to do with these and come find you."

Jess nodded and bit her lip, smoothing her hands nervously across her stomach. After Nick disappeared down a hallway, she glanced around looking for someone that she knew well enough to approach. It seemed like most of the guests had already been there awhile and had been happily drinking for quite some time. Jess spun on her heels and stopped briefly in front of a large oval mirror to check her hair. Within a few seconds, she heard someone calling her name behind her and turned around.

"Jeeeeeessss."

Jess clasped her hands in front of her. "Hi Rose. Dan." She nodded, smiling at her coworkers as they stared at her skeptically.

Rose just giggled. "Did you just get here?"

"Yeah, yeah I did."

She winked. "Did you bring that boyfriend of yours?"

Jess nodded. "I did."

"Well, have fun!" She waved briefly, before she disappeared with Dan into another group of teachers.

Jess was about to step over towards them when Nick came up behind her. "They didn't have your favorite," He smiled as he handed her a glass of white wine. "But, this looked good."

She took the glass gratefully in her hand and swallowed several large sips at once. Nick watched her curiously as he tilted his beer back and took a drink from the bottle.

"You okay, Jess? You might want to slow down there." He winked. "I'd hate to take advantage of you tonight."

She just shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Very funny, Miller."

* * *

They had been enjoying themselves for over an hour, mingling between groups of people and introducing Nick to everyone. Nick stepped away for a moment to discard their glasses, when Jess felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning around, she came face to face with Molly and someone she was already quite familiar.

"Um, hi. What are you doing here?"

Molly brushed against Sam and looked Jess up and down. "Oh hey, Jess. I want to introduce you to my boyfriend, Sam." She linked arms and stepped close to him, smiling smugly. "He's a pediatrician."

Jess cleared her throat, suddenly feeling very awkward. "Um, wow. That's...that's incredible." She held out her hand hesitantly. Sam locked eyes with her before quickly shaking her hand and dropping his arm to his side.

"Nice to meet you..."

Jess narrowed her eyes. "Jess."

Sam winked, a sly smile on his face. "Jess." He had a strange way of drawing out her name, giving her an uneasy sensation deep in her gut. Before she could dwell on the building tension between them, she felt a warm hand run across her back and wrap around her side.

Sam's face fell as his eyes slowly darted back and forth between Nick and Jess. Jess turned her head toward Nick, noticing his jaw tightening.

"Nick," Her eyes widened and she nodded her head toward Sam. "This is Sam. Molly's date." Her words were slow and punctuated, a gradual realization falling across Nick's face as to what was going on. Nick stood in silence for a moment, Jess staring into his eyes. She gritted her teeth and spoke quietly under her breath. "Say hello, Nick."

Nick shook his head, coming out of his daze. Without loosening his grip on her waist, he leaned forward to shake Sam's hand. "Nice to meet you Sam. I'm Nick, ...Jess' boyfriend."

Nick smiled smugly while accentuating the word _boyfriend, _but after a sideways glance to Jess' disapproving stare, he quickly stopped grinning.

Unaware of any sort of awkwardness between all of them, Molly pressed herself closer to Sam and laughed giddily. "Well, I'm off to introduce my boyfriend here to all the other teachers. You two have fun!" With an icy stare, Molly brushed past them, pulling Sam with her.

"_What was that?!" _Jess turned to Nick and hissed, pulling sharply on his arm.

"What?" Nick just shrugged his shoulders. "You wanted to pretend we didn't all know each other, so that's what I did."

"But you...and..." Jess' nostrils flared as she took a deep breath, her shoulders rising and falling emphatically.

Nick just raised his eyebrows. "Did you want me to say something else? You know, like what a complete ass that man is, and how I think that cruel woman deserves whatever sleazy thing he does to her?"

"NICK!" Jess' eyes went wide and she shoved him, looking around quickly to make sure no one had heard what he had said, before reaching out to grab his arm. Tugging roughly, she pulled him into the hallway and stepped around his body to face him as he leaned nonchalantly against the wall. "Do NOT start anything with him tonight." She paused, seeing a pained vulnerability in his eye and her voice softened. "Please. For me."

Nick reached out to grab her hand and gently ran his thumb across her knuckles. "I'm sorry, Jess. I'm not going to say anything. I promise."

A slow smile crept across her face and she reached up to touch his cheek. "I didn't know he would be here...I swear."

Nick reached to grab her hand, now holding both of hers and squeezing tightly. "I know, Jess. He just..." He shrugged and glanced at the floor, before settling his gaze back on her eyes. "I just know he hurt you."

She raised up to kiss his lips. "I never felt anything towards him. Nothing. I love _you_...Okay?"

Nick smiled slowly. "Okay." He squeezed her hands again, shaking them back and forth gently. "Do you want another drink?"

She just nodded and smiled, Nick kissing her before making his way back to the kitchen for another round. She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned her back against the wall. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, feeling the alcohol start to have its effect on her. Breathing slowly to ease the dizziness that was starting to take hold of her senses, she sighed. Of all the people to show up at this party tonight, it had to be SAM. Before she could think about it any more, Nick returned with another glass of wine, which she couldn't help but notice was not quite as full as the previous ones. He smiled shyly after she glanced down at the deep red liquid, then back to his eyes.

"Cutting me off, Miller?" She feigned seriousness, but couldn't help the smirk that was creeping across her face.

He winked at her. "Just making sure good 'ol Toilet Pants doesn't make another appearance."

Silently, she brought the glass to her lips, staring over the rim at him as he watched her intently. The warm liquid felt smooth on her throat and she quickly finished the contents, unable to take her eyes off of Nick's. He stepped closer to her, placing his half-empty bottle of beer down on the small table beside them, before gently wrapping his fingers around her elbow. Tilting her head, she pursed her bright red lips, her long eyelashes teasing him with slow, lazy blinks.

Nick bent his head toward her neck. He felt a piece of her loose hair tickle his face as his nose gently touched the delicate skin behind her ear, inhaling the sweet scent of her perfume. He smiled as she moved her head slightly, exposing her creamy neck to give him better access. Pressing his cold, wet lips to her smooth skin, the soft vibration of his throaty moan sent chills down her spine. Gripping her wine glass tightly in one hand, she grabbed the front of his shirt with the other to pull him closer.

"Nick..."

Smiling against her skin, he paused just long enough to nuzzle her gently with his nose. He gave her neck one more soft kiss, before pulling back, placing his hand on her shoulder and replacing his lips with the gentle caresses of his thumb just along her jawline.

Her eyes looked at him with a haze, brought on by the three glasses of wine she had just consumed. He felt her swallow, as his calloused thumb gently swirled along her throat. She whispered softly, "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You," Nick grabbed her empty glass and put it down on the table next to them with his beer. "will never need to think about that." His hands slowly trailed up her sides, fingers fanning out around her rib cage just as his palms could press against the sides of her breasts. He watched her carefully, mesmerized by the way his touch could alter her breathing into tiny labored gasps. He felt his own breath start to falter when her fingers found their way across his waist, lingering just inside the waistband of his pants.

"Kiss me, Miller."

Without hesitation, he kissed her with a sweet passion that made her feel as though they were the only ones in the room. Her hands slid around his back, grasping at his shirt to pull him as close to her as possible. Their kiss intensified until they were startled out of their intimate moment by a banging sound, followed by a loud voice. They pulled back at the same time, looking at each other, then turning toward the room living room where the noise had come from.

The familiar voice could be heard across the now quiet house. "I'm sorry, but I'm leaving."

Jess glanced at Nick with a frown as he shrugged his shoulders. Taking her hand in his, she followed at Nick's heels as they made their way down the hallway and out into the room. They got there just in time to see Sam opening the front door holding his jacket, Molly chasing after him.

"Sam, please. Don't..."

The room fell silent as Molly turned around with tears in her eyes, momentarily locking eyes with Jess just before running past them down the hallway. They watched as she disappeared into the bathroom and slammed the door.

Jess turned to Nick, stunned. "Maybe I should go talk to her."

He squeezed her hand. "Are you sure?"

Jess lifted up on her toes to kiss his cheek. "She's upset, I'm going to go check on her."

Nick nodded, smiling softly. "I'll be here if you need me."

Squeezing his hand, she turned toward the hallway, walking quickly to the bathroom door and knocking softly.

"Molly. Molly, are you alright?" Jess paused, glancing over at few stunned sets of eyes at the end of the hallway. She knocked again. "Do you need anything?"

"Just go away."

Jess crossed her arms, running her hands up and down her arms and leaned her head against the door. After a few moments, she heard the soft click of the lock and the door slowly began to open. Jess straightened up quickly and came face to face with a the tear-streaked face of her co-worker.

Without a word, Molly stepped aside just far enough for Jess to slide past her into the bathroom. Once inside, Molly closed the door behind her and slumped down onto the closed lid of the toilet seat. Jess leaned her hands back on the edge of the sink and waited patiently for Molly to speak first.

"I...I don't know why I ever trusted him."

Jess fell to her knees in front of Molly. "I'm really sorry."

"He..." She shook her head and leaned her elbows on her knees, her face collapsing into her palms. "He's been cheating on me the entire time."

Jess bit her lip and reached out to rub her back. "He doesn't deserve you."

Molly raised her head to look at Jess, her eyes swollen and red. "That's really nice of you to say."

Jess just shrugged. "No one should be treated that way."

Molly sniffled. "You're so lucky to have Nick. He's so...he seems so sweet. It's obvious that he cares about you." Jess nodded silently. "How did you find such an amazing guy, Jess? What's wrong with me?"

"We just." Jess shrugged. "Sometimes love is just...there waiting for you."

Molly forced a smile. "I hope I find that some day."

Jess gave her a quick hug. "I hope so too."

* * *

A few minutes later, after finally convincing Molly to rejoin the party, the two woman emerged from the bathroom. Molly gave Jess a weak smile and made her way toward the party.

Having been waiting just down the hallway, Nick slowly approached Jess and smiled. "Everything okay? What..." Before he could finish his sentence, Jess threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. She pressed her body against him and held onto him with everything she had. Smiling, he pulled his hands out of his pants pockets and wrapped his arms around her back, puling her close. "Is Molly okay?"

Giving him one last, firm squeeze, she leaned back as her hands slid down his chest. Looking up at him, he could see her eyes wet with unfallen tears. "Jess are you..."

She quickly pressed a finger to his lips and shook her head softly. "Nick. I love you so much, and ...just." She stumbled on her words and his eyes narrowed at her curiously. "I just wanted you to know how much I care about you, that's all." She flashed him a bright smile and he leaned in to kiss her.

"I love you too, Jess. More than you can imagine."


End file.
